Practice management

Even with proposed regulation to the financial advisory industry still pending, several industry members at this week's Women Advisors Forum conference were certain about two things: the SEC should have expanded oversight and the industry will bear more costs.

Man Investments has launched the Man Long Short Fund, an equity hedge fund-of-fund that will invest in up to 30 portfolios and offer monthly liquidity.

John Hancock Financial Network has launched a turnkey retirement income program for financial advisors that includes a web-based product allocation analysis tool, multi-media educational and sales materials and dedicated support.

The “smoking guns” were dropped in a Chicago river. Only the “guns” were not guns. They were hard drives. And the suspect is not a gangster, a la Al Capone. Instead, it is a programmer and former employee of Citadel, the computer-driven hedge fund in the Windy City.

Direct Edge has been sanctioned for weak internal controls that led to millions of dollars in trading losses and a systems outage.

Although Edward Jones recommends that retirees start with a plan to withdraw 4% of their retirement savings each year, Americans have a widely varying idea of how much they will need, the investment firm found in a survey of 1,011 people.

John Hancock Funds has made a number of enhancements to its Portfolio Insight tool for financial advisors, including the ability to compare portfolios side by side and see full transparency into holdings.

Clearinghouses, not regulators, should be responsible for imposing risk management practices on clearing brokers when it comes to monitoring their end customers, says the trade group representing futures commission merchants.

Fidelity Information Services tops the rankings in 2011 of the largest financial technology vendors in the world, according to the eighth annual FinTech 100 survey compiled by IDC Financial Insights, American Banker and Bank Technology News.

Financial Tracking Technologies said its insider trading detection technology has been expanded to cover international markets.

The Hartford is taking part in the upcoming National Save for Retirement Week of Oct. 16 with the “It’s In Your Power Campaign,” based on superheroes.

Having gone into bankruptcy, Financial Research Corp. is now being evaluated by Strategic Insight parent Asset International for potential purchase.

In the wake of economic and stock market volatility, many 401(k) investors are questioning the wisdom of 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans, a survey by Allianz Life Insurance Company finds.

LPL Financial Retirement Partners has rolled out the next iteration of its portfolio of tools for retirement plan advisors working with plan sponsors.

Advisor Software this week launched goalgamiPro, a web-based financial planning tool that lets advisors create and maintain multiple household balance sheets to help prioritize and access their clients’ long-term financial goals.

Citigroup is adopting a managed service from Fidessa Group for tracking orders and executing trades globally in listed derivatives.

Financial services professionals and firms need to do a better job of implementing globally accepted international standards for financial reporting, according to a new report from a task force led by the International Federation of Accountants.

Automatic enrollment greatly increases participation in 401(k) plans for all racial and ethnic groups, with particular success for blacks and Hispanics, even among low earners, Vanguard research shows.

Steve Sanduski, the Prosperous Advisor, says advisors should use the English language in inspirational ways to motivate prospects and get them off the fence to become a client. He’s not talking about slick manipulation but about choosing your words carefully so you succinctly impart your message and create a positive feeling and mental picture in your prospect’s mind.

Among financial planners’ greatest concerns in this turbulent environment is retaining valued clients. In this high-tech era, marketing expert Marie Swift says planners should balance high-tech communications with truly “high-touch” communications.