Practice management

Two teams from D.A. Davidson have joined Raymond James to open an independent branch office in Spokane Valley, Wash.

Barclays Wealth has added Daniel Esslinger to its team as managing director and head of Latin American relationship management and distribution, boosting the firm’s decision last year to focus on that region.

While Jobs’ ideas are applicable to broader business, upon close examination they seem tailor-made for the financial advisor in particular.

On the eve of congressional hearings examining whether unfunded pension liabilities could trigger severe fiscal stress for state and local governments, a coalition of 10 groups representing state and ­local entities said public pensions are not in crisis and are not ­seeking federal assistance.

In business, as in life, we need to remember five principles, says Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy: Do no harm, make things better, respect others, be fair and be loving.

The common refrain of needing to spend money to make money doesn't necessarily apply to social media marketing where time and enthusiasm can trump budget.

One of TD Ameritrade Institutional’s best breakout sessions was a panel of experts discussing some of the best tactics to get PR exposure.

Morristown Financial Group added about 70 new independent advisors in 2010, and credits momentum from its compliance management system, Advisor AdvantEDGE.

Ultimately, owners and managers have huge responsibility in making sure their firm moves forward. Often, the choices they make around their staff are the biggest factor in whether they are successful or not.

TD Ameritrade Institutional brought in Kelli Cruz from InvestmentNews Custom Research group to share information gained from their 2010 InvestmentNews/Moss Adams Financial Performance Study of Advisory Firms.

Emerging Global Advisors named former UBS Wealth Management Americas CEO Marten S. Hoekstra as its new chief executive.

SunGard Data Systems said it introduced a mechanism for tracking leaks of company information through social media. The capital markets software supplier said a new surveillance product will help organizations watch for "content that may breach internal communication and privacy policies.''

The top Democrat on a House panel that plans to hold a hearing Wednesday on “State and Municipal Debt: The Coming Crisis,” believes states and localities need to reform their pension systems, but is uncertain about whether states in severe fiscal distress should be permitted to file for bankruptcy protection.

A survey indicates that retirement income planning and management is paying big dividends for advisors who take the time to understand their clients' unique needs and opportunities.

The bear market of the last three years has forced many retirees to reevaluate, according to a study by T. Rowe Price.

Charles Slater and Bryan Nunberg both join Bank of America from Morgan Stanley.

Led by a former Morgan Stanley Smith Barney exec, the company will target family clients.

Future tools might include online training programs, sales and illustration tools and live video presentations. Could an app be far behind?

Three leading advisors, ranked in Barron’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors 2010 list, shared advice with other advisors attending the TD Ameritrade Institutional conference in San Diego on how they progressed to where they are today.

Nasdaq OMX Group acknowledged Saturday that a Web-based service that promised more than 10,000 directors of corporate boards that they wouldn't have to worry about their communications "being posted on the Web or landing in someone else's inbox" had "potentially" been hacked.