Portfolio

The "do it yourself" investor crowd is not exactly new. But now it has a newfound source of power. A new tool on the market from Motif Investing makes it easier than ever for individual investors to create their own ETF-like investment funds.

The "do it yourself" investor crowd is not exactly new. But now it has a newfound source of power. A new tool on the market from Motif Investing makes it easier than ever for individual investors to create their own ETF-like investment funds. The timing is what makes this tool potentially troubling for established mutual fund and ETF companies. Combined with an overall mistrust of the financial industry and a general populist empowerment (social media, anyone?), it could become the next disruptive change.

Southern California-based Beacon Pointe Wealth Advisors has another notch on its belt.

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.

From improving communication with clients to placing a bigger emphasis on risk management, advisors share how they’re navigating the rebounding market environment and how their practices have evolved as a result of hard lessons learned during the financial meltdown of 2008.

A week after adding four advisors with $533 million in assets, the firm said it added another round of brokers with a combined $508 million.

(Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp. will pay $39 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of women employees at its Merrill Lynch unit, according to court filings.

The expansion-focused $6 billion wealth manager has added Santa Barbara-based Pacific Pointe to its roster, making it the fifth firm in Beacon Pointe’s growing stable, and the fourth in California.

The worst rout in the $3.7 trillion municipal-bond market in more than two years is proving a gift for wealthy investors buying through brokers and professional asset managers who see a chance to make long-term money.

From improving communication with clients to placing a bigger emphasis on risk management, advisors from wirehouse and regional firms share how they’re navigating the rebounding market environment and how their practices have evolved as a result of hard lessons learned during the financial meltdown of 2008.