Portfolio

BlackRock is cutting fees for its large exchange-traded funds next quarter in response to pricing pressure from the Vanguard Group, Bloomberg reports.

Dimensional Fund Advisor has made its way onto Paychex’s Open Fund Select and Advisor Select platforms. Paychex provides of payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing services, including 401(k) plan recordkeeping, for small- to medium-sized businesses.

Denver-based ALPS Fund Services, Inc. has launched two large-cap Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) index funds that will invest in an index of three ETFS that track the S&P 500 (SPX) and two volatility indices pegged off the S&P 500 Market Volatility Index (VIX).

Bank advisors often say the biggest benefit of this channel is the constant stream of potential clients-but are they really leveraging that?

Over the next 10 years, advisors will help their clients facilitate the largest wealth transfer in the history of our nation's history and charitable planning will become an increasingly larger and more important part of that service.

JHS Capital Advisors, a Tampa, Fla., registered investment advisor, announced Monday that it has hired Tim Forsman as a senior vice president of fixed income investments.

Seventy-three percent of annuity owners and 17% of non-owners agreed that annuities are an important part of a retirement strategy, compared to 55% and 8%, respectively a year earlier, according to the survey of investors and financial advisors released at the IRI 2012 Annual Meeting,

"The industry has been in an interesting transformation," said Catherine J. Weatherford, president and CEO of the Insured Retirement Institute. "The financial crisis hit banks rapidly, but for the life insurance industry, it took a while for the issues from the crisis to develop."

Novato, Calif.-based Hennessy Funds moved closer to finalizing its acquisition of FBR Funds, and transferring the assets into various Hennessy funds.

The tax-exempt market ended on a slow note after a week that was described as mostly firmer by traders.