Financial planning

Investment pitches by entrepreneurs and hedge funds may get a higher public profile on television, through social media and even at sporting events following the lifting of an 80-year-old rule by U.S. securities regulators.

Mutual funds had outflows of $4.89 billion for week ended Tuesday, July 2, according to the Investment Company Institute.

Dozens of lawmakers are urging House leaders to reject proposals to eliminate or cap the exclusion for tax-exempt bonds.

Following last month's historic sell-off, the municipal market offers solid fundamentals and the most compelling value since 2011, additionally bolstered by the strong demand from July and August reinvestments and the demand from crossover buyers, BlackRock Inc. said in its July municipal report.

Northwestern Mutual, the nation’s 7th largest independent broker-dealer by total-revenue, announced Wednesday it has hired more than 1,100 financial representatives so far this year, and nearly 3,000 financial representative interns.

The acquisition comes just nine days after United Capital acquired an Atlanta wealth manager and is the latest example of the firm’s aggressive, Starbucks-inspired expansion strategy.

Sanctuary Wealth Services, a San Francisco-based platform provider and services support firm for wealth managers, has snagged a Morgan Stanley breakaway team specializing in proprietary asset management.

Three new reports suggest that the wealth management industry still needs improvement — and hint at a slowdown after recent growth.

One key element separates the fastest-growing RIA firms from their peers, according to a new Schwab report.

Advisors remain very bullish on U.S. equities and plan to allocate a greater percentage of their clients’ portfolios to the asset class over the next six months, according to a new survey by Aberdeen Asset Management.

The Vanguard Group had its first monthly redemptions in almost 20 years in June as investors sold bond funds in anticipation of the Federal Reserve scaling back its asset purchases.

The Boston company said it is realigning to better serve advisors in the independent, bank, broker-dealer and family office channels.

Warning of a growing public pension debt crisis, Sen. Orrin Hatch introduced reform legislation on Tuesday that would allow state and local governments to invest in annuity contracts with private life insurance companies.

A study by the Congressional Budget Office counteracts longstanding conventional wisdom that retirees should hold at least some of their portfolio in annuities

FINRA has delayed consideration of a highly contentious proposed rule on recruitment compensation disclosure.

For many years top advisors have been telling you what clients want and need, how best to communicate, what types of events to host, all the way down to what to wear. But the only way one can really know, is by asking clients and prospects directly write advisor coach Matthew Halloran.

The Financial Planning Coalition submitted a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission saying it would "vigorously oppose" attempts to weaken the fiduciary standard for broker-dealers and submitted research showing a client-first standard does not limit advice to “mass market” clients.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s custody rule governing investment advisors’ custody of client assets imposes various requirements and, in turn, costs on investment advisors, who often need to hire independent accountants to conduct surprise examinations, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

It may be difficult to resist, but responding to emotionally charged emails instead of initiating a verbal discussion can be a slippery slope. Not only can it harm relationships, it tends to be a distraction from what really matters write Dave Grant.

Third-party money manager CLS Investments announced the launch of a new multimedia educational initiative for financial advisors on Monday.