Special Program Root Tag

As their companies shift from recovery to growth, chief financial officers are becoming increasingly concerned about the external and internal factors that could threaten their progress.

Lincoln Trust Company has introduced the Personalized Expense Ratio for the 401(k) plans that it administers. The ratio is designed for participants, plan sponsors and advisers to see the actual cost of their plans without having to perform calculations themselves.

IndexIQ, the Rye Brook, N.Y., developer of index-based commodity and liquid alternative investment products, this week unveiled a new exchange-traded fund designed for investors looking for even more exposure to emerging markets.

While investors feel that some cautionary fences have gone up around the industry and some are more confident about working with financial advisers, the Dodd-Frank Act has not delivered substantial changes to the financial advisory industry since President Obama signed it into law almost a year ago.

The incorporation of guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits (GMWBs) into defined contribution plans may reduce the level of assets required for plan participants to achieve the same level of retirement income, according to Prudential Retirement.

Munder Capital Management has launched the Munder Integrity Mid-Cap Value Fund and the Munder Integrity Small/Mid-Cap Value Fund, both of which are sub-advised by subsidiary Integrity Asset Management, a value specialist that Munder acquired earlier this year.

Barclays Bank has launched the iPath U.S. Treasury 5-Year Bull Exchange Traded Note and the iPath U.S. Treasury 5-Year Bear Exchange Traded Note.

Altegris Advisors has launched the Altegris Macro Strategy Fund, which it is characterizing as the “ultimate go-anywhere fund.”

Van Hulzen Asset Management and Witter Partners have launched the Iron Horse Fund, a mutual fund that invests in dividend-paying stocks and uses call options to reduce volatility and create incremental income. Van Hulzen is the fund’s advisor and Witter is its distributor and marketer.

Consumer Reports’ Consumer Sentiment Index rose slightly from 46.2 in June to 48.5 in July but remained in negative territory, as the stagnant job market is making consumers cautious about spending.

Americans’ retirement expectations have changed dramatically in the past few years, with a vast majority planning to live more frugally and to delay retirement, SunAmerica Financial Group and Age Wave found in a survey of 1,001 people age 55 and older that was the basis for the “SunAmerica Retirement Re-Set Study.”

The Fidelity tech team has come up with a new way to help prevent independent financial advisors from enjoying their vacations

American Beacon Advisors has launched the American Beacon Flexible Bond Fund, which seeks to deliver positive returns no matter what the market direction by investing in a broad range of fixed income instruments.

Morningstar has added sophisticated asset allocation and forecasting functionality to Morningstar Direct, its investment analysis platform for institutional investors.

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index gained 0.50 percentage points in June, rising from 99.5 to 100.00—an increase of 5.4% from June 2010.

Asset managers have seen higher profitability in 2010 than in 2009, but they still face a number of challenges: an increase in investor demands, changing products, tighter regulations, and diversity of markets, according to a study released Monday by The Boston Consulting Group.

So whatever happened to that Armageddon in the $475-billion municipal bond fund market?

One of Wells Fargo Advisors former brokers has won $6.83 million in an arbitration dispute after alleging he was wrongfully terminated and defamed by the firm after cooperating with a regulatory investigation.

A hedge fund services unit of Citigroup in Bermuda has become the latest in a line of third-party middle- and back-office service providers to be sued by the trustee liquidating Bernard Madoff's firm to recoup collect funds for disgruntled investors.

When it comes to finding sub-advisory mandates, the size of the asset management firm is not a key consideration, according to a survey of 33 companies by Financial Research Corp.