Portfolio

With advisors and investors focused on tax season, Ed Slott returns to financial planning with some quick answers on Roth IRAs, required minimum distributions, and what all this means before (and after) April 18.

Sixty-five percent of Americans do not know what a hedge fund is, according to a survey by Thesis Fund Management.

A majority of Americans find retirement planning confusing and want additional help, a study by the ING Retirement Research Institute conducted by the Boston Consulting Group found.

While most of the U.S. continues to endure sluggish or retreating housing prices and foreclosures still remain a persistent blight on the economic landscape, ultra high net worth individuals continue to fork over huge sums to garner real estate in most of the world's most exclusive enclaves.

Franklin Templeton, Loomis Sayles and State Street will be the sub-advisors.

Institutional investors and regulators are paying more attention to the sector.

For investment managers, the capabilities most in demand this year from retirement plans, endowments and foundations will be global and emerging markets investing, hedge funds, private equity and real assets, according to the 2011 Consultant Search Forecast.

According to a Russell survey, enthusiasm for non-U.S. equities has declined.

Standard & Poor's said that U.S. corporate dividend increases surged up 27.8% in the first quarter of this year.