Financial planning

Advisors and their clients are always looking for the next great international investment opportunity. Here are five countries to keep an eye on this year.

The Women Advisors Forum in New York on April 26 marked the second conference of a six event series touring the country this year. Check out these photos for highlights from networking opportunities key sessions on career advancement, recruitment, investing, social media and more. And stay tuned for more on upcoming events in Dallas, Chicago, Boston and Southern California.

Creating a successful marketing plan is a daunting challenge for any wealth manager. Here are 10 ideas to help get you headed in the right direction.

Citing enhanced technologies and retirement planning support for its advisors, National Planning Holdings announced first quarter 2012 sales and revenue gains of 15.7% and 8% respectively compared to a year earlier.

Trying to grow your practice? Here are 12 methods that can help.

Advisors and executives from across the financial industry descended on Chicago for the 2012 NAPFA National Conference. Check out some of the images from the event from our correspondent, Mike Byrnes.

For bank reps looking to advance their careers, there’s no better news than a promotion or a job offer that’s too good to refuse. Here’s a sampling of bank reps who were recently promoted or moved to new organizations to assume roles of greater responsibility. Also check out other executive changes from inside the channel.

Launched in October, Cetera’s Mutual Funds/Exchange Traded Funds Advisory program allows advisors to assemble portfolios of investments from three diverse strategists in a single customer account.

The Women Advisors Forum on March 13 in Boca Raton, Fla., marked the first of a tour of six events around the country this year. The event included new sessions on winning strategies to build business, how to work with widows and preparing clients for decumulation. Most of all, the forum provided an opportunity to network. Check out these photos for some of the day's highlights.

Meet the 2012 Top 20 Program Managers. We considered four factors in this year’s ranking: growth in team production; growth in team assets; average production per advisor and number of FAs the manager oversees. Our next issue will include all the data points as well as bios. In the meantime, enjoy the slide show and congratulations to the winners. Plus, here’s a link to last year’s winners. And, here’s a link to 10 who just missed this year's list.

The upcoming issue of Bank Investment Consultant will feature our annual Top Program Managers. And later this week, we’ll have a slide show of the winners. In the meantime, here’s a peek at those who just missed the cutoff (in alphabetical order). Plus, here’s a link to last year’s winners.

The Dow eked out a tiny gain in April. Here's a look at the five stocks that did the most to hold back the group last month.

Through all the ups and downs last month, the Dow Jones Industrial Average still managed to post a tiny gain – 1.59 points, or 0.01% -- for the month. Here’s a look at the five best-performing Dow component stocks in April.

The group of three advisors said changes at the bank forced their hand.

At a financial forum organized by Paris Europlace, Citigroup Vice Chairman Lewis B. Kaden gave his view of five positive contributions from reform proposals under development in the U.S. and in Europe and his take on five areas that will require "a great deal of future study." Here they are.

Investors have no shortage of people to go to for advice. In addition to hundreds of thousands of financial advisors, they can turn to financial websites, blogs and financial shows on television. With such fierce competition, how can advisors stand out from the crowd? Consultant Paul Werlin, president of Human Capital Resources, has a few ideas. In a story in our upcoming May issue, Werlin identifies 10 ways advisors can set themselves apart in a crowded market. Here’s a preview.

On Wall Street and NYLife/MainStay Investments invites you to see the top 10 branch managers of the year for 2011 (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER).

Securities America, and other firms of varying sizes, are offering comprehensive support programs to lure new advisors, many of whom are trading commission-based firms for independence.

Here’s an interactive slide show featuring the five best-performing growth mutual funds so far this year.

Genworth Financial Wealth Management launched a program offering its advisors access to capital to fund acquisitions and retirement.