Portfolio

The number of deals for RIA firms jumped in the first quarter, according to new research from Schwab Advisor Services. But transaction value was lower than at any point in the last year.

With all the anticipation of a large transfer of intergenerational wealth, a lot can be at stake for advisors presiding over high net worth clients at these meetings.

There may be global institutions with no leaders. Or U.S-led institutions that are not global. But no global institutions with U.S. running the show any longer, said Ian Bremmer of the Eurasia Group.

Globally, exchange traded products are scooping up assets on a faster pace than in 2012, according to BlackRock’s April 2013 ETP Landscape Report.

Creating a will is not a last-minute endeavor, but one that requires deliberate planning.

Finding something, anything, or any combination of investments that can generate an annual return of 5% on assets is a challaenge, as baby boomers retire at the rate of 10,000 per day.

Invesco, owner of the Invesco, Van Kampen and PowerShares funds, said first-quarter profit rose 15 percent as record client deposits lifted assets.

Investors plunged back into bond funds with gusto for the week ended April 24, after two consecutive weeks of taking their foot off the petal, according to estimates from the Investment Company Institute.

“We are seeing good cyclical improvement,’’ Mary John Miller, Under Secretary for Domestic Finance in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. told the general membership meeting of the Investment Company Institute in its policy forum Wednesday. “Now e need to tackle longer-term structural improvement.’’

Speakers and attendees alike had plenty to say about the merits of an active management approach to investor assets at the annual conference of he National Association of Active Investment Managers. The following are some of the smartest things overheard at the conference.