Practice management

Facebook and Twitter may have the market cornered when it comes to immediate, mass-audience polling and recommendations, but when it comes time to select the person who will be responsible for a person's financial livelihood, investors still want to a referral from a trusted relative or friend.

When you talk to the public about the Japan situation, begin by recognizing this is first and foremost a human tragedy.

The SEC is seeking industry comment on a proposal to require broker-dealers to follow the same rules as transfer agents when it comes to finding so-called “lost shareholders.”

Chairman Mary L. Schapiro said Wednesday the SEC should consider making reviews of automated systems used in the exchange of stocks and other investments mandatory. The mandate would be an outgrowth of Automation Review Policies issued a quarter century ago, after the Black Monday crash on Wall Street in 1987.

The more than $113 billion New York City Pension Funds have been granted right of passage by the Securities and Exchange Commission to present a foreclosure request on big bank shareholder ballots.

The short-selling fine comes after Southwest was nabbed for improperly soliciting municipal bond business.

The retirement conundrum of how much money is enough is an ongoing battle that impacts both men and women, but one area where men seem to be winning out is retirement confidence, according to EBRI’s 2011 Retirement Confidence Survey released last week.

Certainly, communication breakdowns are headaches. But when political tumult grips North Africa and the Middle East, and the earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan actually go nuclear, make sure that there are no breakdowns between your practice and your clients.

American workers exited 2010 with more than $10.2 trillion invested in employer-sponsored retirement plans, up 10% from the $9.3 trillion in play at the close of 2009, according to a new report from Chicago-based affluent investor consultant Spectrem Group.

While tens of thousands of independent financial advisors looking to build their brand and their book of business are just now warming to social media, most are still reluctant to jump in with both feet due to compliance and regulatory issues set forth by FINRA, the SEC and FSA, most of which deal with archiving and recalling all correspondence to protect investors.

Firm opens second branch since launching in December as part of aggressive growth strategy.

Independent financial advisers are warning the Securities and Exchange Commission that the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s proposed changes to Rule G-23 contain loopholes that would allow dealer-financial advisers to switch roles and become underwriters in the same muni transactions.

FDIC chairman Sheila Bair received not one but two standing ovations from the ICBA, a week after she was heckled by members of the industry's other main trade group.

New advisor hires from Bank of America Merrill Lynch this month are part of the firm’s national expansion plans.New advisor hires from Bank of America Merrill Lynch this month are part of the firm’s national expansion plans.

The new Naples, Fla.-based advisors join HighTower after the firm added four BofA Merrill Lynch advisors in Portland, Maine.

A federal judge in Dallas ruled against a $21 million settlement between Securities America and class action plaintiffs.

More investigation as to how a uniform fiduciary standard would affect consumers and the market is needed, a group of House lawmakers said in a letter to the SEC.

By following six simple steps, advisors can improve their writing and marketing communications.

Financial advisors spend too much time “running their practices like practices instead of like businesses,” says David B. Loeper, CEO of Wealthcare Capital Management, a Richmond, Va. a firm that provides services to advisors. And doing so decreases the number of clients they can serve and the overall value of the business, he says.

People are living longer, working to an older age and largely underestimating how much money they'll really need to afford the retirement they've always envisioned.