Independent advisors

Regulators have been working their way steadily down from the biggest players in the industry to regional firms in their quest to stamp out abuses of "off-channel" communications.

Recent years have taken the shine off of fixed income, both as a portfolio diversifier and a way to boost total returns. The prospect of falling rates next month promises to reverse that.

The wealth management giant questions if there has ever been so large a civil sanction handed down in response to "negligent mistakes" made in an attempt to comply with "unwritten rules."

Financial planners have had to field plenty of questions about why they weren't more aggressively chasing returns. With the market correction, they now have a chance to show the benefits of a diversified strategy.

Firms' practice of offering low returns on clients' uninvested cash is becoming the latest hot legal target.

A financial advisor in North Carolina is looking for a fee-only advisor to offer an advice-only model for his own family. Is this a good idea? If so, what are the considerations?

A look at which firms had the biggest loan balances and revenue numbers and the relationship between the two.

Firms that haven't been afraid of generous recruiting offers have shown the greatest growth in recent years.

A federal judge agrees with plaintiffs that the Federal Trade Commission lacks authority to set rules on unfair competition.

With rate cuts still on the horizon, some advisors wonder if it's time to look for returns beyond high-yield savings and money market accounts.