Portfolio

A new study by retirement and investment trends research firm Hearts & Wallets, LLC found that more retirement firms are considering the lifetime value of consumers--currently 55%, up from 43% in 2010--showing an increased focus on younger investors.

The 2008 and 2009 global financial crisis left many investors disappointed with the high volatility and negative performance of their portfolios and leading them to re-evaluate the risk reducing ability of asset allocation.

The 50 largest asset managers accounted for more than US$38 trillion in assets under management at the end of 2012. This is a full US$4 trillion more than the year before, even as the biggest firms in the industry continue to enlarge, according to The Cerulli Report: Global Markets 2013.

Operating in an environment where we are all expected to do more with less, asset managers increasingly rely on service providers.

Laif Meidell is president of American Wealth Management and a FINRA registered representative with Foothill Securities, a hybrid Reno, Nev.-based RIA firm.

A new study by retirement and investment trends research firm Hearts & Wallets, LLC found that more retirement firms are considering the lifetime value of consumers-currently 55%, up from 43% in 2010-showing an increased focus on younger investors.

With heavyweights like Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) throwing its hat into the managed futures mutual fund ring, interest from both investors and asset management in this investment vehicle appears to be rising.

As the mutual fund universe becomes more crowded and the strategies offered to investors become more complex, fund managers are under pressure to further differentiate themselves and their brands from the competition. One way to stand out is to make investor and financial intermediary education a key element of any communications plan to drive brand awareness and asset growth.

Best known as the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange and the first to head one of its member firms, Muriel F. "Mickie" Siebert died of complications from cancer on August 24 at the age of 80.

The Treasury Department and the IRS have issued proposed regulations to implement the information reporting requirements for insurers and certain employers under the Affordable Care Act.