Portfolio

2009 saw a 76% boost in volume for such firms.

ShareBuilder 401(k) serves small businesses with a lineup primarily of exchange-traded funds.

Putnam Investments has launched a content-rich Roth IRA Conversion Resource Center, Putnam.com/roth2010, aimed a financial advisers.

Putnam Investments has launched a content-rich Roth IRA Conversion Resource Center aimed at financial advisors.

Cash hurts.

ShareBuilder 401(k), which serves small businesses with a lineup primarily of exchange-traded funds, is offering pricing discounts for plans as they reach savings milestones of $1 million, $2 million and $5 million. For those businesses with plan assets of $5 million or more, the company doesn’t charge any administration fee and reduces asset management fees to less than 50 basis points.

But several positive indicators point to a pickup in deals in 2010.

AllianceBernstein has pledged up to $500,000 to aid victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

ProFunds has launched two exchange-traded funds that will leverage U.S. Treasuries, the ProShares Ultra 20+ Year Treasury and ProShares Ultra 7-10 Year Treasury funds.

Sixty-five percent of 160 socially responsible mutual funds from members of the Social Investment Forum outperformed their benchmarks in 2009, most by significant margins, the forum said.