Mutual funds

The Great Recession has prompted an overwhelming majority of American workers to believe it’s time for a new and improved model for workplace retirement programs, Prudential Financial found in a survey.

The Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index advanced one point in January to -9, marking the sixth straight month it has been in neutral territory. It declined six points in December.

Delaware Investments has launched the Delaware Macquarie Global Infrastructure Fund in partnership with Macquarie Capital Investment Management, sub-advisor to the fund.

The ETF Council, a new trade organization for exchange-traded funds that will focus on both marketing and lobbying, is set to launch next month.

The Securities and Exchange Commission voted 4:1 Wednesday to substantially raise the standards for the types of securities that money market funds may hold; to require them to disclose their holdings and net asset value every month; and to have 10% of their assets liquidly available for daily redemptions and 30% weekly.

Fidelity Investments confirmed Wednesday that Charles Goldman, its head of institutional platforms, is leaving the Boston fund company.

The American Institute of CPAs is offering a CPA-oriented guide on Roth IRA conversions now that the old $100,000 income limit for converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA no longer applies.

NEW YORK—Putnam Investments unveiled a new website for its 401(k) plans Monday that keys investors into a monthly retirement income figure, rather than their existing balance or a retirement savings target.

New York Life Insurance has secured the rights as the presenting sponsor of the 2010 Big East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. The men’s championship is taking place March 9-13 at Madison Square Garden, and the women’s games will be held March 5-9 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.

401(k) investors aided by professional investment advice—be it in the form of a target-date default investment, managed accounts or bona fide online advice—earn nearly 2% more (186 basis points) than those who do not receive such help, according to a joint study by Hewitt Associates and Financial Engines.

GuaranteesMatter.com, a microsite from New York Life Insurance, is designed to offer consumers educational and planning materials to help them navigate the changing financial landscape, by showcasing guaranteed products.

Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch Wealth Management unit has launched a new U.S. marketing campaign, “help2retire_____,” to illustrate individuals’ evolving retirement priorities and personal aspirations. Budgeted at $20 million, it launched Monday and is scheduled to run through the end of April on broadcast network and national cable TV, as well as print and online consumer and trade magazines, including sister publication Financial Planning.

Starting March 31, the WisdomTree Japan Total Dividend Fund will be renamed the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund and, while still providing the same equity exposure and using its dividend-weighting methodology, begin to hedge Japanese yen exposure against the U.S. dollar.

In helping the middle-class save for retirement, President Obama may have also given a boost to the annuities sector.

Blackstone Advisory Services Vice Chairman Byron R. Wien, who has made annual predictions for U.S. markets and the economy at the start of the year for the past quarter century, believes there will be a number of welcome surprises in 2010—not least of which will be GDP growth surpassing forecasts of 5%.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is considering a bill that would require mutual funds, pension plans and other large institutional investors to publicly reveal how they vote their proxies, to impose proper corporate governance on otherwise passive investors who, seemingly, don't vote in the fiduciary interest of their end investors.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup said that a 2007 e-mail that a Charles Schwab managing director wrote could prove to be a “mea culpa smoking gun” since the executive says Schwab should tell investors it misrepresented risks in the short-term bond fund.

Charles Schwab has begun offering investors six professionally managed portfolios that have access to 24 exchange-traded funds, each portfolio with an investment minimum of $100,000. The Schwab Managed Portfolios will invest in up to 19 core sub-asset classes and offer diversification across all the major equity and fixed income asset classes, including TIPs, real estate and commodities.

Sun Life Financial is readying a national marketing campaign to raise its profile, and to underscore the effort, has just signed a multi-year agreement with the Miami Dolphins to rename the team’s Miami Gardens, Fla., stadium the Sun Life Stadium.

Lord, Abbett has reduced the net expense ratios on two of its international funds by 31 and 23 basis points, bringing the Class A charges both the $949 million Lord, Abbett International Core Equity Fund and the $325 million Lord, Abbett International Dividend Fund to 1.12%. The two funds are now lower than the averages in both their Morningstar and Lipper peer groups.