Portfolio

Financial advisors want to know the most important key to becoming a top producer. Most think the answer must be a magical new product, an innovative new sales idea or a remarkable new marketing strategy. However, their jaws drop when they learn the truth. Nathan Bergeland, the CEO and founder of USAdvisors Network, offered some insights.

T. Rowe Price Group announced better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings on Friday as assets under management soared on inflows, particularly to target-date retirement portfolios.

Vanguard on Friday launched the Vanguard Total International Stock ETF, which tracks the MSCI All Country World ex-USA Investable Market Index.

The funds joins the SPDR family and bring the total number of offerings to 96.

From big-ticket spending to long-term planning for their futures, American investors are taking a more conservative approach to handling their money, according to industry professionals.

While endowments for the last fiscal year were able to post an 11.9% investment return, Commonfund President and CEO Verne Sedlacek said yesterday that most funds are “probably still 25% below where they were in 2007.”

State Street Global Advisors on Thursday has launched three new SPDR exchange-traded funds: the SPDR S&P Transportation ETF, the SPDR S&P Telecom ETF and the SPDR S&P Healthcare Equipment ETF.

Morningstar’s ETF expert, Scott Burns, sees a long-term shift to passive investing, but “managed solutions” packaging ETFs will also grow rapidly.

New hedge-fund like vehicle will trade frequently

While Americans have remain committed to saving for retirement through their 401(k)s, a significant portion of households owning financial investments, 37%, have become more conservative in their saving, asset allocation and choice of retirement age, according to a survey of 3,000 households at the end of 2010 by the Investment Company Institute.