Portfolio

Bloomberg -- Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch unit agreed to pay $160 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed by black financial advisors, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said.

The Internal Revenue Service has provided summaries and a set of tips to help with compliance for some of the more complex areas of the foreign tax credit law.

When issues arise, advisors should follow the steps doctors take to diagnose and treat the problem to create a healthy, vibrant business.

The fact that clients don’t always divulge all their personal financial information to their financial advisors comes as no surprise. The questions that need to be answered, however, are: how many clients, what is being withheld and why are they so secretive?

The Securities and Exchange Commission today sanctioned a former portfolio manager at a Boulder, Colo.-based investment advisor for forging documents and misleading the firm’s chief compliance officer to conceal his failure to report personal trades.

BLOOMBERG -- The rate New York state and its local governments pay to the $160.4 billion pension fund will drop for the first time in five years, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said.

Banks and credit unions are seeing high single-digit growth from their programs. They want more and the opportunity is there, says LPL’s Rob Comfort, as the industry is just beginning to tap the potential in providing investment advice.

Some advisors are great at strategic planning for others, but never plot out an ideal future for themselves.

The rate New York state and its local governments pay to the $160.4 billion pension fund will drop for the first time in five years, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said.

As real estate recovers, non-listed REITs are soaring, but they haven’t been much of a hit with customers of Merrill Lynch.