Practice management

With small-business credit still sluggish, policymakers and industry representatives spent much of a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. forum Thursday debating whether government could find a solution, or was itself part of the problem.

But will a new self-regulator be the new reality?

The community really needs to know if you are (or are not) satisfied with the service you're receiving, and how it has (or has not) helped you focus on your direct client services.

A recent Fidelity Investments survey shows 60% of registered investment advisors are actively looking to acquire new advisors and now they can have help doing so with Fidelity’s newly expanded advisor recruiting and retention resources.

According to a study by SEI, advisors hope to spend more time this year on business growth.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. board is scheduled to move ahead on new resolution powers and discuss executive compensation structures at a meeting Tuesday.

Helping business owners manage group retirement plans for their employees creates an income stream as well as a gateway to future business.

The Bank of America-owned private wealth management business has added five new advisors to its southeast and eastern divisions in its bid to serve ultra-high net worth clientele.

A group of House Financial Services Democrats are raising questions about whether taxpayers will be fully protected under the terms of a recent settlement over poorly underwritten loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Schwab will pay $118 million to settle the charges.

MSSB and Wells Fargo have reached into each other’s advisor forces for two new wealth advisor appointments

It’s a nerve-wracking jolt into the electronic age, but converting your paper files to bytes streamlines both your client services and your compliance readiness.

Matt Fink, former president of the ICI, comments in the latest edition of his book on how another financial crisis may one day be in the making.

Advisors should heed how the bank is leveraging new technology to converse with customers online.

With wealthy under-50 investors making up 29% of total affluent investors in the United States – and growing - the big question for wealth management firms is how to gain more wallet-share from this critical client segment.

The Bank of America unit Trust has appointed five new advisors in Illinois and Texas to focus on ultra-high net worth clients.

HighTower has expanded its New York team by merging with the business of Steve Bogner, a former Morgan Stanley Smith Barney advisor who manages $80 million in client assets.

For the past two years, the FDIC has maintained a consistent crisis-response posture. But it will undoubtedly need to pivot in a new direction in 2011.

If the stock market and your clients’ declining 401(k) balances are making them feel like they’ll never be able to fully retire or become financially stable, they’re not alone.

A lot of solo advisory practices are going to start looking for ways to add scale, but what are the risks and how can you get started?