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Variable annuities with guaranteed living benefit riders surged up 78% in the past two years to more than $521 billion in the fourth quarter of this year, according to a new LIMRA report charting the sales prowess of more than 95% of the variable annuity sector.

The financial advisor’s equivalent of the real estate agent’s “location, location, location” mantra is “communication, communication, communication.” Given the events in the Middle East, you have a perfect opportunity to communicate with your clients, deepen your relationship with them and position yourself as a thought leader with the investing public through a timely, well-written update letter.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority expelled MICG Investment Management of Newport News, Va., and barred its chief executive and majority owner, Jeffrey A. Martinovich, from the securities industry.

U.S. investors have warmed to exchange-traded funds in a big way over the past five years and their growing familiarity with the expanding variety of products available helped pushed the total value of U.S. ETF assets over the $1 trillion mark last month, according to a report from State Street Global Advisors.

According to PIMCO, consultants said that active management makes the most sense for all asset classes, except large-cap U.S. equities.

Financial advisors who want to keep their high-net-worth clients happy and in the fold would be well advised to keep their mobile phones close at hand, according to a new survey conducted by Chicago-based affluent investor consultant Spectrem Group.

Richard Davies is leaving AllianceBernstein to join Russell Investments as the head of its defined contribution business.

As exchange-traded funds have gained in popularity, confusion has grown over how to pick the ETF right for investor portfolios. Now Charles Schwab has stepped up to fill in the gap.

About nine months after it floated the idea, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has just asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to approve a rule change to establish a new registration category and qualification exam for certain operations personnel to be called operations professionals.

According to DWS Investments, rising inflation is not a question of "if" it's a matter of "when."

Bank stocks are up across the board, with giddy investors anticipating a flurry of mergers after a few high-profile deals in December and January. But the higher share prices have actually slowed what could have otherwise been a steady pipeline of deals.

New Forrester report reveals how customers view their financial services firms.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has not found any major abuses from its targeted examinations of broker-dealers that were either placement agents or worked with such agents to obtain business from municipalities and public pension funds, market sources said Tuesday.

Brian Moynihan sought to usher in a "new era" for B of A Tuesday, asserting that the bank would move away from a culture of growth by acquisition to one focused on organic growth.

Financial firms are still trying to develop coherent social media strategies. But don’t race into it: the risks are not well understood.

While the financial services community waits for some movement from the SEC on new rules and policies governing advisors, the Labor Department has taken it upon itself to get the ball rolling in the name of better protecting investors and pensioners.

Roy Seay and Carolyn Edwards each worked at UBS for 11 years and together had $850,000 in annual production.

Fixed indexed and income annuity sales shook off a lackluster to start to the year to finish 2010 with some much-needed momentum, according to Beacon Research's latest research.

RIAs are embracing the idea of shaping their compliance procedures around what could go wrong.

Fewer hedge funds opened their doors in the fourth quarter, according to HFR Hedge Fund Research.