Financial planning

The winners of the fourth annual awards, sponsored by New York Life/Mainstay Investments, will be feted at an awards dinner in Manhattan in May.

Through extensive trial and testing, TopTenREVIEWS narrows it down.

Financial firms are still trying to develop coherent social media strategies. But don’t race into it: the risks are not well understood.

For three days, 610 bank investment advisors, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors assembled in Hollywood, Fla., for insights and ideas on the industry. Check out some of the images in this photo gallery.

"No amount of government stimulus will prevent it,'' said forecaster Harry S. Dent Jr. That's because additional stimulus, driven by more federal borrowing, will have less and less effect on the economy, much like the dwindling effect of more cocaine on a crack addict, he said.

Are you searching for a little inspiration? Maybe something to push your team a little harder? Check out the list created by Impact Books.

Advisors face two major challenges in today’s environment: intense competition for client assets and pressures on profitability. Kelly Coughlin of GlobalBridge says that unified managed accounts have evolved to provide a solution to both challenges at once. But how can advisors use UMAs to expand their business?

Take a fresh look at your clients' life insurance planning to see if changes are necessary in light of the 2010 Tax Act.

According to a FINRA study, brokers paid 1,310 fines valued at $45 million last year. But what were the most frequent categories of fines? What type of activity should you avoid to avoid the wrath of regulators? Check out the FINRA countdown

With tax season upon us, most advisors are looking for ways to help clients maximize their tax savings. But with some converting to Roth IRAs, the folks at Allianz offered some cautions to help navigate rocky conditions.

Bill Dwyer, the independent giant’s president of sales and national marketing, talks about his firm’s progress.

Americans held $15.6 trillion in retirement assets at the end of the third quarter of 2009, according to the ICI, but as we emerge from the Great Recession, advisors and investors want to know what they need to do to retain and grow assets from here.

A study of million-dollar producers conducted by Peak Advisor Alliance indicated that 10 key activities accounted for approximately 75% of their average week. Steve Sanduski, the author of our new blog, “The Prosperous Advisor,” examines these activities and why they are so critical.

For three days, almost just over 500 and 75 exhibitors came to Weston, Fla., for the T3 Conference. Mike Byrnes of Byrnes Consulting sent some images highlighting the event (including looks at his favorite talks, one booth’s crazy attire and the best evening party.)

Broker-dealers had better be prepared to handle some tough questions on their procedures and controls to mitigate risk and can no longer pass the burdens of meeting SEC requirements to junior managers.

A recent study indicates that 49% of consumers share content online at least once a week, with 86% being shared through email. Email sharing even beat out Facebook (49%) and Twitter (4%). By marketing your content via email, you tap into a great opportunity to create valuable content that your recipients will want to share. Our new technology blogger, T.J. Gilsenan examine how.

The financial services industry can be a great career choice but unfortunately, a lot of new advisors never make it past the first couple of years. Advisor Keith Weber discusses some tips to help young advisors.