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Make no mistake. We are going to sail through a lot of these volatile periods over the next five to 10 years and the profession needs to brainstorm better ways to deal with them that won't harm clients and their investment goals. We need to better understand what's going on. And consumers deserve to be told more than just which way the wind is blowing today.

Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services' $150 million purchase of Securities America, Ameriprise's independent broker-dealer unit, will greatly increase the size and reach of Ladenburg Thalmann, but isn't likely to shift the rankings of the largest independent firms in the financial advisory industry. At least not right away.

Stocks plunged again Thursday on concerns that Europe is still struggling to prevent its persistent debt crisis from spreading to some of its largest economies, pushing several to the brink of a recession.

Looking for a silver lining amid all the market gloom? How about a Roth IRA conversion that can help you and your clients "rightsize" their tax bills.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority said it suspended an Illinois broker for 16 months for manipulating trades using spoofing and other tactics.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.5% in July to 115.8, suggesting that the economy is poised for "modest" growth through the end of the year.

Securities America is making generous efforts, in some cases, to keep its advisor force intact after Ladenburg Thalmann agreed to purchase Ameriprise's independent broker-deal unit for an initial payment of $150 million.

HighTower Advisors continues its roll-up expansion strategy with the hiring of Greycourt & Co. financial advisor Margaret M. Towle, who previously oversaw $1 billion in client assets.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, US health expenditures account for 17.7% of annual GDP. More money is spent per person on healthcare in the United States than in any other nation in the world, according to the World Health Organization. In fact, US health expenditures are greater as a percentage of national income (or GDP) than any other United Nations member state, except East Timor.

First Allied Securities, one of the industry’s largest independent broker-dealers, is spinning off from its parent, Chicago-based Advanced Equities.