Portfolio

R.R. Donnelley has developed a financial services application compatible with iPhones, called Socrates, that investors can use to make purchases. R.R. Donnelley plans to follow up on this with additional smart phone applications.

Rather than being discouraged from saving as a result of the financial crisis, the market's 2008 decline and falling home values, these events have spurred more people into action. Seventy-five percent of 1,002 people surveyed by TDAmeritrade said one of their resolutions for 2010 will include a financial goal. Driving this figure overwhelmingly are minorities, with 56% of Hispanics and African Americans saying money-related issues will be one of their 2010 resolutions, compared with 32% of Whites.

Most financial advisers are preparing to add more financial planning services to their practices as a result of the recent recession, according to a report on practice management by Cerulli Associates.

Lord Abbett has launched a new website lordabbett.com/advisor designed to help financial advisers grow their business by focusing on three key areas: investment solutions, market insights and practice management.

ALPS Advisors has launched the ALPS/GNI Long-Short Fund, in conjunction with GNI Capital.

Long-term mutual funds enjoyed their 35th straight week of inflows, totaling $8.42 billion for the week ended Nov. 11, according to the Investment Company Institute. Year-to-date, equity, fixed income and hybrid fund sales now total $357 billion.

Among the nominees for Morningstar’s Fund Manager of the Decade, a new award program that recognizes performance, perseverance and shareholder dedication, are managers from Fidelity, PIMCO, Oakmark and American Funds.

Continued contributions to 401(k)s and a 34% rally in the S&P 500 in the second and third quarters have propped up average balances quite strongly, Fidelity found in an analysis of the 11 million individual 401(k) accounts it serves.

The Department of Defense is now making Morningstar investment research available to all 6.5 million military personnel and their families. Previously, only members of the U.S. Navy had this access, beginning in 2002.

Seventy-five percent of fund managers do not expect the Federal Reserve to increase the Fed funds rate until the second half of 2010 or later, according to the November BoA Merrill Lynch survey of 218 fund managers with $534 billion in assets under management. Twenty percent think this might not happen until 2011.