Portfolio

The U.S. Senate sent a $42 billion package of tax incentives to President Obama for his signature, reviving dozens of lapsed breaks for 2014 and setting them to expire two weeks from tomorrow.

Money managers’ profits in North America last year surpassed pre-crisis levels, rebounding to $34 billion on asset and revenue growth, according to a study by McKinsey & Co. Profits were 18% above the pre-crisis peak in 2007 after assets reached $30 trillion. Profits at asset managers globally also moved past 2007 levels, increasing 15% to $65 billion from 2007. Assets reached a record $64 trillion last year.

Biases that arise from misconceptions (and laziness) can do lasting damage to a client's retirement plan and an advisor’s business—the popularity of "file and suspend" is just one example

Prompted by a Financial Planning investigation, more effective advice for soldiers and vets in financial distress is the objective.

From the family feud that rocked Nicholas Schorsch's REIT and IBD empires to LPL's regulatory lapses and a wealth management crisis sparked by a CEO's private fund, the advisory industry had a healthy share of lowlights in 2014. Here are some of the most memorable.

The CFP Board’s first computer-based exam attracted over 2,100 applicants.

Raymond James recruited advisors with about $2 billion in combined assets, including a Merrill Lynch team with $535 million in AUM. Meanwhile, UBS hired a $2.5 million producer and Wells Fargo grabbed a team managing more than $400 million in assets.

A change in S&P Dow Jones investment classifications has the potential to change both the makeup and the perception of some dividend-focused ETFs.

"He clearly wouldn't be walking way [from American Realty Capital] if things were business as usual,” says Aite Group analyst Alois Pirker. “The optics are just not very good."

With nearly 16,000 firms managing $2.4 trillion in assets, Cerulli predicts the RIA industry will capture 28% of retail investor assets by 2018.