Financial planning

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.

Global exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products last month experienced outflows for the first time in two years losing $3.98 billion.

Total assets in municipal bond funds rebounded after a week of record outflows, even as investors continued to redeem their cash for the sixth week in a row.

A Philadelphia district court handed down a $100,000 fine and six-month prison sentence for allegedly unlawful trades.

St. Louis-based Buckingham Asset Management has added JWA Financial Group of Dallas in its latest acquisition.

If federal regulators move ahead with a plan to impose a uniform fiduciary standard of care on investment advisors and broker-dealers, financial professionals anticipate that the cost of doing business will increase, with a result of higher client fees and more limited services, according to a new survey.

Nearly 70% of Millennials have no retirement plan, according to a new survey.

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., have introduced legislation in the Senate and the House to block foreign governments from collecting taxes on securities transactions.