Practice management

UPDATE: Who are the most influential people in our industry? Financial Planning is now accepting nominations for our annual Influencer Awards. We are seeking the most impactful individuals in multiple categories who are leading -- and sometimes pushing -- the industry to higher levels. The awards will recognize practitioners and thought leaders who have made significant contributions to the financial planning profession, from developing innovative portfolio and practice-management solutions to providing leadership for the advisory community.

FINRA levied almost $40 million in fines in the first half of the year and will likely doll out as much or more through the end of the year.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board released a proposal Thursday aimed at increasing protection for retail investors who trade municipal bonds online.

The independent brokerage arm of Wells Fargo & Company, now has nearly 550 practices across the country.

Genworth Financial Trust Company announced a new program to help independent financial advisors find the trust companies best suited to working with them.

A key government witness against three former UBS AG municipal-bond executives in a bid-rigging trial called one of the defendants an "idiot" and was asked today whether he disliked him so much that he put photos of tortured cats on his desk.

Insights gained at humble jobs long ago have helped these planners shape their messages to clients.

Barlow Research's Economic Pulse study found 43% of small business owners do not intend to retire and those who do said they plan to work, on average, until they're 67 years old.

FINRA has fined Wedbush Securities $300,000 and levied an additional $25,000 fine and suspension for its president, Edward Wedbush.

Schwab Advisor Services has expanded its "Insight to Action" practice management consulting program for registered investment advisors.

The head of the House Financial Services Committee is renewing his call to act on legislation to increase oversight of investment advisors, a bipartisan bill that stalled in the committee last month.

Steve Wershing, "The Referral Doctor," says the client advisory board is every firm's most important tool for gathering detailed client feedback. But to take advantage of this wealth of information, your board's preparation is critical.

As legal eagles-including regulators, cops and attorneys-continue to swoop down for the kill in the wake of the LIBOR debacle, asset managers still struggle to gauge the scandal's impact on their investments.

The online tool analyzes program data against industry averages and best practices drawn from more than 2,800 financial institutions.

Financial Advisor Phoenix Advisors LLC is hiring three financial advisors from Capital Financial Advisors.

Looking for a different culture, Paul Keats, who had over two decades at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and John Keats struck out for a smaller, regional firm.

An arbitration panel has struck down an investor's $1 million plus claim against Morgan Keegan's troubled bond funds, citing the standard industry warning "Past performance is not guarantee of future results."

OneAmerica has teamed up with Edward Jones to provide 401(k) and 403(b) retirement solutions to employer clients.

Former brokers at Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. won a reversal of their convictions for tipping day traders to confidential data on their internal "squawk boxes," after an appeals court said prosecutors withheld critical evidence.

There have been more advances in technology for independent advisors in the past decade than there were in the previous 30 years. And the speed of this change is accelerating even faster today, giving advisors more tools to provide even better service to an even larger group of clients.