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Top-tier ratings agency Standard & Poor’s plans to begin tracking the operational risk of hedge funds, according to Reuters.

529s have become a hot investment again, after a brief slowdown, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Some shareholders of some funds have it easier when finding out information on where their mutual funds stand on corporate issues, according to the Wall Street Journal.

It’s the time of year again when money managers start window dressing—dressing up their investment portfolios to make them look as good as possible to investors, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Charles Schwab has struck an agreement to buy Austin, Texas-based 401 (k) Company from Columbus, Ohio-based Nationwide Financial Services for $115 million in cash. The deal is expected to close at the end of the first quarter next year.

Retirees and soon-to-be retirees may have investment options they haven’t either considered yet, according to BusinessWeek Online.One option is to decrease spending, and eliminating or reducing unneeded life-insurance coverage can cut down on the need for cash today, financial planners suggest. Also, baby boomers might even be able to turn the cash value of an unnecessary policy into an annuity.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute sees savings, retirement and health issues becoming increasingly important in the lives of individuals, employers and public policymakers.

Central bankers have never had a comfortable relationship with hedge funds, and valuable lessons have been learned over the years with risk systems improved and controls tightened, according to an editorial by Andrew Rozanov, senior manager at State Street Global Advisors in the Wall Street Journal . However, the number of hedge funds and the amount of assets they control have risen significantly while the strategies they employ have become more complex and dynamic.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson discussed with German Leaders the possibility of including hedge fund transparency among the issues broached by the powerful, multi-national Group of Eight, according to the Associated Press.

Top-tier ratings agency Standard & Poor’s plans to begin tracking the operational risk of hedge funds, according to Reuters.

Arlington, Virginia-based investment firm Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. (FBR) settled claims of insider trading and agreed to pay roughly $7.7 million to federal and industry watchdogs this week, according to the Associated Press.The agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Association of Securities Dealers stems from claims that in 2001, the company improperly traded shares of CompuDyne, a security provider based in Annapolis, Md. FBR Founder Emanuel J. Friedman, who is also the company’s former chief executive and co-chairman will pay a separate $1.25 million civil fine and be barred from working in a subadvisory group for two years. He is still allowed to maintain his position and responsibilities at EJF Capital, a company he started in February. Former Chief Compliance Officer Nicholas Nichols will pay $110,000 and Scott Dreyer, former head trader, will pay $19,870.

529s have become a hot investment again, after a brief slowdown, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Star mutual fund manager and 17-year Fidelity Investments Canada veteran Alan Radlo left the company this week, The Globe and Mail. Radlo was widely regarded as the face of Fidelity in Canada and oversaw about 25% of the fund company’s $37.5 billion in retails assets under management.

Stable interest rates and low inflation have increased U.S. money managers’ outlook on stocks, according to a quarterly survey by Russell Investment Group, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Deutsche Bank will sell its retail mutual fund business in Italy to Anima SGRpA, a company based in Milan. Anima will merge DWS Investments Italy’s 7 billion Euro, or roughly $9.2 billion, mutual fund assets into its existing products, according to Datamonitor News.

Mutual funds may soon be obsolete, according to Bloomberg columnist Chet Currier. This is despite mutual funds enjoying one of their most successful years, with U.S. assets reaching $10 trillion.

Germany Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Mirow plans to take a closer look at hedge funds to examine whether they pose a “systemic risk,” according to HedgeCo.Net.

Hiking hedge fund investor qualifications probably won’t help anyone, according to Dow Jones Columnist Thomas Kostigen.That’s because even with the present requirements—that investors have at least $1 million in assets, or income s over $200,000 annually—the Securities and Exchange Commission never really checks to see whether investors are really worth what they say.

Fidelity Tuesday added four sector funds to its Advisor Focus line. The new funds, which focus on consumer staples, gold, materials and telecommunications, bring Fidelity’s Advisor sector lineup to 14 and the total number of funds distributed through its advisor channel to 92.The new funds continue the restructuring of Fidelity’s Select Portfolio, VIP and Advisor Focus Fund lineup. So far, the Boston-based company has already changed the names and investment policies of several funds, and adopted various benchmarks.

Wheaton, Ill.-based ETF innovator and PowerShares Chief Executive Bruce Bond argues that traditional indexing is no longer adequate, in an interview with MarketWatch.