Subject Root Tag

"Uncertainty and doubt remain in the marketplace," according to Strategic Insight.

Large U.S. retirement plan sponsors believe defined contribution plans should be mandatory, and include auto enrollment, savings escalation and employer contributions, according to a study by Northern Trust.

The looming battle over Congress is bringing investors’ macro-economic concerns to a head.

Even though small business owners have seen improvements in their businesses, they do not expect an economic rebound until the second half of 2011, according to a Business Confidence Survey released on Monday by Administaff.

The effects of the financial market meltdown from 2008 are still unfolding, as companies cut benefits and unemployment stagnates. Many women are responding by shouldering more financial responsibility in their families, which helps explain why they are so driven to learn more about their retirement finances.

“Referrals are a transfer of trust” said Julie Littlechild, President of Advisor Impact. She added, “They are an expression of everything you do with your clients.”

The Stamford, Conn., based company, which has $6.5 billion in assets under management, opened Chilton Trust Management LLC in Palm Beach, Fla., to provide full-service, private wealth management services including: asset allocation advice and portfolio management.

For the managers of the Thornburg International Value Fund, troubles across the Atlantic are just weak spots in what is, overall, a solid market for overseas investments.

The new offerings were developed in response to client demand for actively managed emerging market equity and global bond strategies.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Connecticut banking commission have sued a Connecticut hedge fund manager with fraud.

With more than $23 trillion in assets under management, pension funds represent the largest asset class in the global financial marketplace. Managing this massive amount is the responsibility of pension plan sponsors who, supported by investment managers and other service providers, are charged with delivering results to plan participants within an ever-changing and ever-challenging economic environment.

If the Securities and Exchange Commission had systematically documented numerous complaints about Bernard Madoff made over 10 years by financial analyst Harry Markopolos, who argued that Madoff's returns were mathematically impossible; known that two of SEC offices were independently investigating Madoff, unbeknownst to one another; and heeded the advice of one of its own examiners five years before the $18 billion scandal came to light-it might have seen the bigger picture and stopped Madoff in his tracks.

NEW YORK- Growth in emerging markets has the potential to outpace the U.S. Baby Boomer explosion by 25 times, and as consumption and infrastructure in these nations builds, specialized emerging market exchange-traded funds will become increasingly viable, said Robert Lutts, president and chief investment officer of Cabot Money Management. That even means sector- and style-specific ETFs, Lutts said, as well as diversified emerging markets blend funds, added Paul Weisbruch, vice president of ETF and options sales and trading at Street One Financial.

Affiliated Managers Group has selected Sean Healey, the Boston-based company's president and chief executive officer, to succeed William Nutt as chairman at the beginning of next year. Nutt will remain on the company's board of directors.

Strategic Insight, FUSE Research

Wilmington's top executive said "there is no significant economic or real estate recovery on the horizon in our markets. Therefore, we have little assurance that our loan portfolio will strengthen significantly in the near term, or that our capital position will not erode further."

Build America Bond issuers could potentially go years without subsidy payments under the examination process the Internal Revenue Service is currently considering for them, bond attorneys meeting here warned last week.

Issuers that want to avoid disclosure mishaps — and possible federal enforcement action — should develop and closely follow policies as well as procedures that lay out who must review and sign off on their disclosure documents, Securities and Exchange Commission officials are stressing.

President Obama reiterated his proposals for cuts in business and individual taxes and called on Republicans and Democrats to work together after the elections.

While reforming the government-sponsored enterprises was always going to be a hard battle for the Obama administration, its job will be even tougher if the Republicans, as expected, win control of the House this week.