Mutual funds

Given the opportunity to approach their retirement savings again, 51% of affluent Americans who have retired said they would have preferred to have focused on life goals rather than a retirement number, Merrill Lynch found in a survey. However, the remaining 49% still believe in zeroing in on the numbers.

Last year was a record year for breakaway brokers and this year could be even stronger, according to an executive at Fidelity Investments.

New York Life Insurance has committed $100,000 in donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for Haiti and has pledged $150,000 in matching contributions to this and other charities serving Haiti made by both employees and agents, for a potential total donation of $400,000.

BrightScope is offering a Personal 401(k) Fee Report that will permit investors to sign up for free to see fees on 30,000 plans, how they compare to fees on comparable funds and how much money they would gain or give up over the remaining course of their working years.

Despite the fact investors are more conservative after getting slammed by the recession, advisers and their clients are optimistic about the year ahead, with advisers looking to grow their business and improve their use of technology.

If the emerging absolute-return exchange-traded funds succeed in delivering outsized returns at low cost, the one-two punch to the traditional mutual fund industry could gain steam, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The time has come for mutual funds and other institutional investors to vote their proxies in favor of individual investors and truly exert their fiduciary duty, John Bogle, founder and former chief executive officer of Vanguard, writes in a Wall Street Journal editorial titled, “Restoring Faith in Financial Markets.”

Hedge funds had their best year last year since 1999, according to the Hennessee Group. The Hennessee Hedge Fund Index gained 24.6% in 2009. Equity indices also gained in 2009, with the S&P 500 up 24.7%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 18.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index gaining 43.9%. In 1999, the Hennessee Hedge Fund Index was up 30.78%.

Pioneer U.S. Sales Team Expands With Seven Hires

A new survey by the Investment Company Institute finds that most Americans are still confident that their 401(k) plans can help them reach their retirement goals, but last year's 31% average drop in account balances has also highlighted the need for improvements to this popular, critical retirement vehicle.

The fundamentals of what advisers need from wholesalers are changing, and wholesalers have no choice but to adapt. Our research at kasina concludes that wholesalers should focus on serving advisers' needs for:

The mutual fund industry should proudly celebrate Americans' 73% approval rating for 401(k)s, according to an Investment Company Institute report, "Enduring Confidence in the 401(k) System."

Morningstar Names Managers of the Decade

NEW YORK -- It's difficult to determine what something is worth if no one is buying or selling it.

The mutual fund industry should proudly celebrate Americans' 73% approval rating for 401(k)s, according to an Investment Company Institute report, "Enduring Confidence in the 401(k) System."

AXA Distributors, the annuity wholesale distribution unit of AXA Equitable, has created a comprehensive retirement income planning curriculum for financial professionals it is calling “Cracking the Code.”

Long-term mutual funds took in inflows for the 43rd straight week, netting $10.61 billion in the week ended Jan. 6, according to the Investment Company Institute. Over the past nearly 11 months, beginning at the nadir for the markets on March 9, funds have taken in a total of $427 billion.

Since its “Be on the green line” advertising and marketing campaign has resonated so well with customers, Fidelity has launched a “green line” video contest on YouTube.com that will pay $5,000 to the best video that interprets what that guidance means. Entrants are asked to give the impression that they are the “green line” in a well-produced video no longer than 90 seconds, that contains no music, that is in English and that features the Fidelity brand in a consistent manner.

Assets in exchange-traded funds around the world now surpass $1 trillion, soaring an astounding 45.2% from $710.9 billion at the end of 2008 to $1.032 trillion at the end of last year, BlackRock reported. By comparison, the return on the MSCI World Index in that timeframe was 27%, indicating that a good percentage of that growth was driven by inflows.

Financial Engines, an online 401(k) financial advisory firm aimed at individual investors, is planning a $100 million initial public offering aimed at large institutions and wealthy investors.