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A former Morgan Stanley Dean Witter stockbroker was sentenced this week to almost five years in prison and ordered to pay his former employer $1.5 million in restitution in connection with fraud charges.

Investors pushed stocks higher in afternoon trading Wednesday, propelling the Dow Jones Industrial average up 144 points, or 1.3%, to close at 11.320.71. Gold, meanwhile, lost some of its luster, shedding 5.6% of its value to close at $1,757.30, its largest one-day decline in more than three years.

Annuities sold at a brisk pace in the second quarter, setting the stage for a record year of sales, according to the Insured Retirement Institute.

U.S. investors may be overly worried about the fate of the euro, and overly confident in the U.S. dollar, according to Kieran Osborne, co-portfolio manager of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Merk Funds.

Two weeks ago, Apple Computer had its day in the sun, briefly surpassing Exxon Mobil in market capitalization to become the largest corporation in the world. Now it’s gold’s turn.

At focus11, LPL Financial's national conference held earlier this month, it was clear that social media was clearly more than just a casual "focus" for the 5,000-plus attendees. Along with several well attended sessions, LPL had a station on the exhibit floor dedicated to the topic that enjoyed constant advisor traffic.

Moody’s downgrade of Japanese debt Wednesday was bad news for the country, but it could present a stock buying opportunity, according to Adam Patti, CEO of IndexIQ.

On Tuesday, UBS announced plans to cut 3,500 job worldwide, to save $2.5 billion by 2013. Almost simultaneously, the state of Connecticut found that money talks -- if it wants to keep UBS jobs in its state.

Chief financial officers navigating their firms through these uncertain and troubling economic times already have plenty to worry about. How these executives manage risk and enhance their corporate value through sustainability will play an increasingly larger role in how investors view their firms and their respective stocks going forward.