Money Management Executive Latest News

Fund companies and other financial firms have been effectively using social networking media to differentiate themselves among investors, advisers and even their own employees, according to Cerulli.

Financial services firms are urging Congress to adopt retirement savings reforms in the next few years and are readying products that could profit from them.

Although the recent economic downturn has forced pre-retirees ages 50 to 59 to consider working years longer than they had hoped, their current rate of savings is unlikely to fund the retirement lifestyles they expect, according to the fifth annual Retirement Fitness Survey from Wells Fargo & Company.

Americans, including retirees, are looking to return to stocks to regain the steep losses they suffered in 2008 and are optimistic they will accomplish this, Prudential Financial found in a survey of 1,001 Americans aged 45 to 75 with $100,000 or more in retirement savings.

J.P. Morgan Funds has launched an online version of its target-date fund evaluation program, the Target Date Compass. Aimed at advisers and plan sponsors, it helps them evaluate target-date funds’ time horizon, participant behavior, risk management and asset class diversification, so that they can select funds most closely aligned with the goals of the plan sponsor and participants.

Sensing that investors are still worried about market volatility and a reversal of this year’s rally, fund companies are increasingly allowing their managers to hold larger amounts of cash, or offering tactical, dynamic, absolute-return or other types of funds that have the flexibility to reverse course.

Long-term mutual funds took in $3.14 billion in the week ended Nov. 4, marking the 34th straight week of inflows, which now total $349 billion, according to the Investment Company Institute.

There is a possibility that the government’s aggressive stimulus spending and zero interest rates could backfire, saddling the U.S. economy with heavy debt, high unemployment and a

Fidelity Investments has introduced “Insight & Outlook,” actionable market analysis for financial advisers and broker/dealers on its custody and correspondent clearing platform. The program is designed to help these advisers better manage and grow with businesses.

While only 32% of U.S. executives believe the stimulus plan has had any effect on the economy so far, 49% believe it will kick in during 2010, Deloitte found in a survey of 343 managers.