Mutual funds

While mutual fund executives and analysts warned earlier this year that some of the holdings of stable-value funds were questionable and that they were in danger of breaking the buck, that no longer appears to be true, The Wall Street Journal reports.

It is remarkable that the federal appeals court judge who dissented on the Jones v. Harris Associates case made a point of saying that executive compensation needs to be reined in, The New York Times reports.

A full 70% of Americans aren’t sure how they’ll be able to save enough for retirement, Bankrate.com found in a recent survey. Another 50% worry about being able to send a child through college.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority issued a joint investor alert today warning investors about the risks associated with leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds.

After almost a year in federal receivership, in which chunks of the giant corporation have been sold off, American International Group (AIG) has ended negotiations to sell its Advisor Group of independent broker/dealers. The group had been on the market for roughly 10 months.

Affiliated Computer Services has joined the growing list of service providers offering 401(k) analytic tools for plan sponsors.

Investors dropped almost $44 billion into open-end mutual funds in July, bringing the year-to-date total for inflows to $171 billion, according to data released by Morningstar. Taxable bond funds were the overwhelming favorite, taking 59%, or $26 billion of July's proceeds.

Hunter Named President, CEO of Westrock Group

Actively Managed Funds Up 15.82%, Beating S&P by Five Percentage Points

DST Systems, Inc. this year celebrates 40 years of providing market-leading solutions to the mutual fund industry. In recognition of this milestone, Money Management Executive asked DST's senior leadership to identify ways investment management companies can maximize the value they deliver to their stakeholders by leveraging the strengths and resources of a service provider.

While most asset managers have survived the global financial crisis, they still face many uncertainties: internal cost pressures, changes in products, heightened investor demands, headcount reductions, fund closures and tighter regulatory scrutiny.

With a little cooperation, 403(b) retirement plans for educational and governmental workers can move even closer to resembling their 401(k) counterparts, become more streamlined and boost participation, but first, industry participants will need to agree on best practices for the plans that will help everyone speak the same language.

The commissioners and staff at the Securities and Exchange Commission have been working around the clock, looking for ways to refine and improve regulations in the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in history, but this important work takes a delicate touch. Changes to one area could have unexpected ramifications to other areas, and every move must be planned with care and consideration.

Seventy-three percent of Baby Boomers who own a traditional IRA are not planning to convert it to a Roth IRA in 2010, when the previous household income limit of $100,000 will be eliminated, USAA Wealth Management found in a survey. Any investor who converts in 2010 will have two years to pay the taxes.

Vanguard is limiting new purchases and not accepting new accounts for the Primecap Core Fund and two related funds, Primecap and Capital Opportunity.

The Jones v. Harris Associates fund fee case pending before the Supreme Court could very well be found in favor of investors, and if so, that could have tremendous ramifications for the 53 million American households that own mutual funds, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Jackson National Life reported a record $3.4 billion in retail sales and deposits in the second quarter. In the first half of the year, sales and deposits totaled $6.1 billion, up 3% from the first half of 2008.

The $4.5 billion U.S. Natural Gas Fund, an exchange-traded fund, may have an investment mandate for the U.S., but regulators’ crackdown on speculation is forcing the fund to look overseas, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Although actively managing Treasuries has always proven difficult, PIMCO is making the case for actively managed TIPS funds, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Fidelity Investments has partnered with an afterschool program, Building Educated Leaders for Life, to bring the “Stock Market 101” curriculum to middle-school students in the Boston area this summer. It will educate sixth- and seventh-graders about the stock market and the economy to help them learn about the value of investing and, perhaps, encourage some to enter the asset management industry.