Practice

There's no doubt the baby boom retirement wave has created a tremendous opportunity for financial advisors. But those with less noble goals also see an opportunity, and they're putting financial advisors squarely in the crosshairs.

The state of Arizona this week signed a five-year contract extension with Nationwide Retirement Solutions to provide deferred compensation plans for more than 26,000 plan participants.

The operator of the New York Stock Exchange reported net income of $154 million, or $0.59 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2011, compared to net income of $184 million, or $0.70 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2010.

Despite arguments that retirees should be exposed to equities in order to bring enough growth in their portfolios to last throughout their retirement, Morningstar’s president of the investment management division, Peng Chen, argues in a new article that retirement portfolios must include a conservative bent that includes longevity-insurance products.

It’s shocking how many rich and famous people make mistake and after mistake, which often leads to heirs fighting over inheritances. But, it’s not only the rich. Everyday across the country, people from all walks of life make the exact same mistakes time and time again. The only difference is the dollar amounts that they’re fighting over.

Despite arguments that retirees should be exposed to equities in order to bring enough growth in their portfolios to last throughout their retirement, Morningstar’s president of the investment management division, Peng Chen, argues in a new article that retirement portfolios must include a conservative bent that includes longevity-insurance products.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering requiring money market funds to set aside 1% to 3% of their assets and lifting the $1 net asset value, sources with knowledge of the discussions told Bloomberg News. The SEC may require any fund that did not set aside the capital buffer to revert to a floating NAV within 60 days.

Organization and communication are key components of both how a financial advisory firm should be run and the work that firm does for its clients, according to Grant Rawdin, president and chief executive officer of Wescott Financial Advisory Group, which has offices in Philadelphia, Miami, Boca Raton and Washington, D.C.

The Securities and Exchange Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to require large traders to register and to share more information. The rule, yet another measure in response to the Flash Crash of May 2010, will take effect in 60 days, with traders given an additional two months to begin registering.

Most public relations firms cite studies that claim the services they provide are at least three times more credible than advertising. But for financial advisors, the question often is how do you measure the return on your PR investment?