Portfolio

On April 30, 2012, Principal Funds added three new hires to its I-O team.

The implementation of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 started the process of "decoupling" between the Federal estate tax and various states. As the years moved forward, many states retained a $1 million estate tax exemption amount, decoupling their exemption from the Federal amount that has ultimately risen to its current $5 million level. However, the reality is that a second decoupling just occurred in 2011, and as a result, a new state estate tax planning "loophole" has opened up, creating a planning opportunity for many clients, but only until the states close the loophole.

On April 30, 2012, Prudential Annuity has unveiled two new asset allocation portfolios and two new sub-advisors.

Revenue from the sale of investment and life insurance services at banks and credit unions increased 10% in 2011, led by a significant boost in advisory services.

On April 30, Dow Jones said it was named the “Most Innovative ETF Index Provider” for the Americas region at the 8th Annual Global ETF Awards.

The big guns -- from PIMCO to State Street -- are now squaring off in one of the tiniest slices of the fund business. But it's not clear yet if there will be a payoff.

UBS has launched the ETRACS DJ-UBS Commodity Index 2-4-6 Blended Futures ETN

State Street Global Advisors last night cleaned house at the 8th Annual Global ETF Awards Dinner held in New York, taking home a series of industry awards.

Guggenheim Investments has added three new exchange-traded funds to its BulletShares lineup.

Executives managers and top operational leaders of fund companies appear to be downcast about their compensation even as financial market tensions ease.