Portfolio

I’m all for the notion of having options, but if you look at just the ETF universe there are more than 1,000 on offer

Factor Advisors has launched five leverage exchange-traded funds that hold both a bull and a bear position. The initial FactorShares ETFs combine holdings in the S&P 500 Index, U.S. Treasury bonds, gold, oil and the U.S. dollar.

Vanilla as they may be, annuities still represent the lifeblood of many investors' portfolios because they deliver a steady, predictable income throughout retirement.

Equity funds net $6.42 billion, with the bulk going to domestic stock funds.

Two state-specific municipal bond portfolios managed by BlackRock Inc. were slated to be closed to investors effective Wednesday, a day after the firm began liquidating the funds' investments, according to a Feb. 18 addendum to the funds' prospectuses.

Americans held $15.6 trillion in retirement assets at the end of the third quarter of 2009, according to the ICI, but as we emerge from the Great Recession, advisors and investors want to know what they need to do to retain and grow assets from here.

Fidelity Investments reported Wednesday that the average 401(k) account balance held with it hit a 10-year high of $71,500 at the end of 2010. For participants who continuously contributed to their 401(k) the average balance increased to $183,100 from $59,100 a decade ago.

A study of million-dollar producers conducted by Peak Advisor Alliance indicated that 10 key activities accounted for approximately 75% of their average week. Steve Sanduski, the author of our new blog, “The Prosperous Advisor,” examines these activities and why they are so critical.

In a survey of affluent U.S. investors, HSBC Securities reported a growing interest in overseas investing, and an opportunity for advisers to provide more information.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index rose 5.6 points this month to 70.4, up from 64.8 in January.