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In the cruel irony department comes the saga of Jill Wile, a former manager in the southeast regional office of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the self-policing group for brokerages.

Investors who beat a path out of global equity markets earlier this year are stampeding back in.

Retiree optimism is an encouraging improvement and most likely correlates to a stronger stock market and the prospect of higher interest rates in the future, says Wells Fargo executive.

Expected in August, the Labor Department's new draft of a fiduciary proposal for retirement-plan advisors involves taking a more "clear, direct and nuanced" approach to the education vs. advising question, says Assistant Secretary of Labor Phyllis Borzi.

The so-called Crummey technique has the IRS concerned, so planners might want to alert HNW clients before the opportunity is reined in.

Securities America and Triad, both divisions of Ladenburg Thalmann, slapped for "failing to supervise the use of consolidated reporting systems resulting in statements with inaccurate valuations being sent to customers."

Raymond James has done it again. The firm has stolen away a Merrill Lynch advisor-team with $200 million in assets under management, marking its sixth major recruitment win in the past two weeks.

Regulatory, recruiting and retirement issues dominated the agenda at the annual BISA conference. Here are some of the smartest things we heard from economists, executives and other industry leaders during the well-attended three-day event.

Family office execs report a rise in direct investments and so-called club deals as hedge funds fall out of favor. ''Families want to be in control," says one consultant.

Advisors and their HNW clients too often shy away from difficult conversations about inheritance planning. Here are some ideas for advisors to help start the dialogue.