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The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Los Angeles district office has obtained an emergency court order halting all operations and freezing the assets of a company it says has been “creating the illusion” for seven years that it was taking investors’ money and investing it in life settlements.

Many financial advisors look for opportunities to win the 401(k) business of local employers because it both provides them with some immediate revenue and, more important, steers cross-selling business their way as employees get to know them and turn to them for financial advice -- especially as they retire and bring them their rolled-over assets to invest.

Allianz announced Tuesday it is rolling up its Allianz asset management division and PIMCO units into a new structure to be called Allianz Asset Management, effective Jan. 1.

Deloitte Consulting has promoted Elizabeth Krentzman from principal to head of its mutual fund practice, a new position at the firm that oversees its auditing, tax, financial advisory and consulting businesses for the fund industry.

Franklin Templeton has launched the Franklin Templeton Global Allocation Fund, which will take a tactical asset allocation approach and consistently adjust its allocations to a widely diversified portfolio of equities, fixed income, cash and derivatives.

Forty-two percent of hedge fund managers became bearish on stocks in August, up markedly from 27% who were pessimistic on equities in July, according to a survey by BarclayHedge and TrimTabs Investment Research. This is the largest percentage of bearish hedge fund managers in a year.

Natixis Global Advisors has acquired a controlling interest in Darius Capital Partners, an investment advisor that offers a menu of third-party hedging strategies. These include Undertakings for the Collective Investment of Transferable Securities (UCITs), managed accounts, hedge funds, hedge fund replicators, funds-of-funds and alternative exchange-traded funds.

Nasdaq OMX Group said a London broker is installing software from its SMARTS subsidiary to monitor trading activity across a series of derivatives markets for potential abuses.

Real-time risk management is the holy grail for many financial institutions. The reality: the majority of banks cannot calculate the true risk of new deals to their business intraday because they continue to rely on stale inaccurate data.

Of the hundreds of thousands of words in the Dodd-Frank Act, none has caused as much consternation as the seven-letter one tucked into Title 10: abusive.

Video can make a big difference in the effectiveness of your website. Most websites, including financial advisor sites are about conveying information. The easier you make your content to process for your visitors, the more likely they are to stick around. Video is a great way to do this.

As a financial advisor, you are always looking for ways to add value and bond with your clients. One of the most unique and innovative ways I've found for doing just that also drive referrals years into the future and provide a wealth of insight about their individual goals and values is a legacy profile.

Exchange-traded funds, a relatively cheap and tax efficient way for individual investors to invest in equities while maintaining a degree of diversification in portfolios, are becoming more popular among wealthier investors and their advisors.

The vast majority of retail advisers now use alternative products or strategies for their clients-but that number is a bit misleading, a new study finds.

It's been 10 years.

Morningstarhas promoted William Harding to head of manager research for its investment management division, a new position in which Harding will develop best practices in investment manager research and selecting.

Just as the term "Golden Years" has fallen by the wayside, the entire concept of a traditional "retirement" may be on the verge of becoming obsolete.

Despite recent volatility, UBS analyst says investors should buck up and “stay the course,” not shifting their allocation away from equities.

A New York-based advisory firm is going after the professional athlete market with an All-Star business development team: A former NFL quarterback, a pro golfer and a sports entertainment legend.

The spike in market activity and volatility spurred by the downgrade of U.S. debt, the debt-ceiling contratemps in Congress and the European sovereign debt overhang did not drive overall trading volume to record levels in August.