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Companies cite defensive moves ahead of rate rise

iShares has registered nine additional country-specific exchange-traded funds with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Many donor-advised funds from the nation’s largest mutual fund companies are directing tens of millions of dollars to aid victims of the massive earthquake in Haiti. The Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund alone has sent $10.5 million for Haiti relief.

Bernie Clark will run Schwab's advisor services unit and Trish Cox its corporate brokerage services division.

Fidelity is offering a suite of 25 iShares exchange-traded funds to its online and wireless retail customers commission-free, and Fidelity has also reduced its online U.S. equity trade commissions to $7.95. for all of its customers.

The Labor and Treasury Departments have issued a request for information to determine whether annuities belong in 401(k)s. Specifically, the agencies want to know the benefits and the drawbacks to receiving retirement income in installments.

Affiliated Managers Group reported a fourth-quarter profit of $24.6 million, or 55 cents per share, reversing a loss of $83.7 million, or $2.12 a share, a year ago.

Yacht prices, hit hard by the recession, are creating the perfect storm for a buyers’ market.

Most RIAs don’t see any lost competitive advantage if a fiduciary standard is required for everyone

The actively managed exchange-traded funds sector is increasingly going mainstream, and Grail Advisors is riding right along with it.

Some analysts said that its latest deal for a unit of PNC is clearly a defensive move to box out Northern Trust Corp. from becoming a top competitor in asset servicing.

Many may switch institutions that don’t meet their needs.

The proposal would automatically deduct up to 3% of an employee’s salary straight from their paycheck and invest it in Roth IRAs, unless the employee chose to opt out, or chose to invest in a traditional IRA. This plan would be for employees who don’t have other types of pensions or retirement savings plans, about 80 million workers in all.

Among financial services firms well known to investors, affluent investors have the most favorable impression of Fidelity, Vanguard and American Funds. This is according to a Phoenix Marketing International survey of 850 investors age 35 to 64 with household income and investable assets, excluding workplace retirement plans, of at least $100,000 conducted this past November.

The Colorado bank's wealth management practice is operated like a boutique high-net-worth independent RIA.

Following the financial crisis, advisers are most likely to recommend financial services companies they perceive as ethical and trustworthy, Phoenix Marketing International research shows. Conducted this past November, the Phoenix study shows that American Funds, Vanguard, John Hancock, Franklin Templeton and Fidelity command the most favorable impression among firms well known to advisers. In terms of brand recognition, advisers cited Hancock, Prudential, Vanguard and MetLife as leaders.

BNY Mellon has signed a definitive agreement to buy PNC’s Global Investment Servicing business for $2.31 billion in cash. The unit provides custody, fund accounting, transfer agency and outsourcing.

Ignores Other ARRA Programs

Ten struggling exchange-traded funds that have attracted less than $18 million, or 3% of WisdomTree’s $6 billion in assets under management, will be shut down on March 24.

Based on the strong performance Putnam Investments’ funds delivered across a wide variety of asset types in 2008, the annual Lipper/Barron’s Fund Families Survey has selected Putnam as the No. 1 mutual fund family of 61 offerings.