Money Management Executive Latest News

Waddell & Reed Changes Portfolio Manager Lineup

MIAMI - David Driskill doesn't believe in chance. He believes in statistics. The co-founder of National Quality Review of Boston says that statistics prove that even by reducing the margin of error slightly, mutual fund companies can increase investor retention.

Despite high oil prices, the continuing war in Iraq, natural disasters and ongoing hikes in the Fed funds rate, equity mutual funds returned 9.27% and fixed income funds rose 2.06% in 2005, according to a report from Lipper of New York.

As if swelling consumer debt and negative savings weren't big enough obstacles to attracting young investors, the Federal Reserve recently released a survey showing that workers today are earning less than a few years ago.

If an individual does not save for retirement, that individual is compromising the quality of life after retirement. More than half of the workers in the United States are afraid that they are not going to be financially secure when their time to retire rolls around, and many even say that they will most likely have to keep on working, according to study by the Financial Services Forum, Reuters reports.

Exchange-traded funds may be a little more accessible to more invsetors, according to Tribune Media columnist Humberto Cruz.

Investors plowing money into hard assets should beware of fools' gold, The Wall Street Journal warns.

The Roth 401(k) came about at the beginning of this year. However, it cannot yet tout widespread popularity, as many companies have opted not to offer it. However, General Motors Corp has announced its plans to offer it and will be the first major employer to do so, and as a result, GM's decision may boost the popularity of the newest retirement savings product, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Once the gold standard for fund governance, TIAA-CREF no longer deserves its designation as the industry's shareholder-friendliest firm, according to Christopher Davis, an analyst with Morningstar in Chicago.

The SEC has served subpoenas to a number of financial journalists, claiming that short sellers conspired with research firms and business journalists to drive down the prices of stocks, according to Buyins.net - a company that helps shareholders fight naked short selling.