Money Management Executive Latest News

Because the Internal Revenue Service has not yet determined the market rate of interest return for so-called “DB(k)” plans—hybrids of pensions and 401(k)s—many companies eligible to begin offering them as of Jan. 1 are first waiting on the information.

A small Atlanta registered investment advisory firm is hoping to drum up business by offering personalized 401(k) advice, but analysts warn that drilling down to offer investment advice to retirement plan participants could be more trouble than it is worth.

AXA Equitable has introduced the Retirement Cornerstone annuity, a dual-track product that offers exposure to both aggressive growth and investment protect.

iShares not only remained the biggest exchange-traded fund player in 2009 but expanded its market share from 47.7% at the end of 2008 to 50.1%, according to Morningstar—a remarkable feat given the pace of new entrants and new offerings.

RS Investments has launched three fixed income funds that will invest in high yield bonds and bank loans and is using $135 million in seed money to fund the funds.

Long-term mutual funds took in $12.25 billion in the week ended Dec. 23, bringing the sales streak to 41 weeks and a total of $413 billion, according to the Investment Company Institute.

After years of adding innumerable bells and whistles to annuities to attract investors, insurance carriers have begun to prune their offerings—not just to simplify them but to reduce their indemnification, The Wall Street Journal reports.

A number of executives at Saturna Capital donated their holiday bonuses to charities, the second year in a row they did so.

Dennis Delafield and Vincent Sellacchia, managers of the Delafield Fund, which soared 55% in 2009, will continue to take a cautious approach in 2010, seeking out small- and mid-cap companies that are clearly poised for growth, keeping 20% of assets, a record amount, in cash, and paying keen attention to companies’ debt covenants.

The new year will be a bad year for fund investors, according to a doomsaying column on MarketWatch.