Practice management

Scottrade this week debuted a new mobile trading application for investors looking to access real-time research, news and analysis and execute trades from their smartphones and iPad tablets.

I think we as advisors are going about our lobbying effort all wrong. More to the point: does it make sense for us to keep lobbying on behalf of the consumer or should we act like everybody else in the universe and lobby for things that would better serve our own interests?

The global economy is trudging through an austere recovery. Lawmakers in the U.S. have just wrangled an uneasy compromise about the debt ceiling and the equity markets are a constant source of surprise to investors. Sounds like the right time for you to walk away from the practice for a couple of months.

The state of Arizona this week signed a five-year contract extension with Nationwide Retirement Solutions to provide deferred compensation plans for more than 26,000 plan participants.

The operator of the New York Stock Exchange reported net income of $154 million, or $0.59 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2011, compared to net income of $184 million, or $0.70 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2010.

Despite arguments that retirees should be exposed to equities in order to bring enough growth in their portfolios to last throughout their retirement, Morningstar’s president of the investment management division, Peng Chen, argues in a new article that retirement portfolios must include a conservative bent that includes longevity-insurance products.

Organization and communication are key components of both how a financial advisory firm should be run and the work that firm does for its clients, according to Grant Rawdin, president and chief executive officer of Wescott Financial Advisory Group, which has offices in Philadelphia, Miami, Boca Raton and Washington, D.C.

Most public relations firms cite studies that claim the services they provide are at least three times more credible than advertising. But for financial advisors, the question often is how do you measure the return on your PR investment?

Giving feedback, recognition and rewards to staff is a worthy management technique that can help grow your business.

To help your clients achieve their goals, learn what's important to them by developing a strong bond.

Three programs within RBC Wealth Management have catapulted the firm to No. 1 in customer satisfaction.

European hedge fund advisors will soon be faced with the same challenges – and requirements – as their U.S. peers.

European hedge fund advisors will soon be faced with the same challenges – and requirements – as their U.S. peers.

Outflows from long-term funds totaled $4.58 billion in the week ended July 20, the Investment Company Institute said.

A Fidelity Investments survey released on Thursday found that a majority of Americans do not understand how their pensions work.

National Planning Holdings, Inc., one of the nation’s larger independent broker-dealer networks, announced this week it has contracted with business technology firm Erado to supply its more than 3,500 affiliated representatives with compliance services for social media applications.

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration panel has ordered Merrill Lynch to pay $8.1 million in compensatory damages to a family corporation that claimed the firm had breached its fiduciary duty with its investments.

Americas Trading Group said it selected NYSE Technologies to provide the backbone for its high-performance execution platform.

In what may be a sign of a tightening of regulation of social media use by investment advisors, the Securities Division of the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office is issuing new guidelines and best practices standards that will go into effect next year.

Financial planners become successful through a fierce commitment to building their practices. But too few principals proactively plan for when -- and how -- they will one move on. To avoid being unprepared when the time comes, here's an interactive slideshow outlining some of the key steps in the succession planning process.