Portfolio

Though world gross domestic product shrank in 2009, high-net-worth individuals managed to almost make up for 2008 losses, according to the Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management and Capgemini 14th annual "World Wealth Report."

For employers with 401(k) plans, auto enrollment is growing, and target-date funds are an increasingly popular default option. But concern is building over what happens when the two trends meet.

For three days in late June, advisors, industry executives and fund managers descended on Chicago for the 2010 Morningstar Investment Conference. The audience received insight on the flash crash, international investing and the impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Industry bigwigs, including Vanguard's William McNabb, were among the speakers. (See part 1 here.)

The number of exchange-traded funds has surged the past few years, bringing a unique business opportunity to Russell Indexes in Tacoma.

It's official: The 60-week-long, $600 billion-strong, steady sales streak for mutual funds is over.

The nadir of the economic downturn ravaged many American families’ college savings accounts, sending balances down almost 50%, according to Deborah Fox, founder of Fox College Funding. It frustrated investors, but it also prompted some to become more educated about the fees associated with 529 plans.

NEW YORK-After getting burned by the financial crisis in 2008, many investors have decided to sit on the sidelines instead of jumping back into equities. But Putnam Investments said at its mid-year equity markets briefing Tuesday at the St. Regis Hotel it sees the uncertainty in the financial markets as an opportunity.

Bank Investment Consultant Magazine's Top 20 Program Managers Awards honored program managers who bring out the best in their advisors. At a dinner sponsored by New York Life/Mainstay Investments in New York last week, the awards program celebrated managers whose advisors perform well above industry benchmarks.

After getting burned by the financial crisis in 2008, many investors have decided to sit on the sidelines instead of jumping back into equities. But Putnam Investments said at its mid-year equity markets briefing Tuesday in New York that it sees the uncertainty in the financial markets as an opportunity.

As the last ten years have demonstrated, buy-and-hold may be logically sound, but it may no longer be a viable investment strategy.