Practice management

Despite a recent show of political opposition, the Labor Department seems poised to press ahead with a proposal to broaden the definition of fiduciary to cover advisors working in the retirement plan segment, a leading opponent of the measure warns.

The new model has to be able to serve clients "any time, any place and anyhow," said Bernie Clark, the head of Schwab Advisor Services at the financial service giant's annual Impact conference in Washington, D.C.

Banks nationwide agree: Costly branches must evolve to accommodate modern times, but question marks remain on the how. Higher functioning ATMs, tablet-equipped employees, and video tellers are some of the ways financial institutions are testing out new branch models.

The answer rests not with the firms but with advisors themselves, says James Kerr, president of Davidson Companies.

Bank of America should pay the maximum penalty of $863 million for selling defective loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, given the egregiousness of the fraud, U.S. prosecutors told a federal judge.

Firms need technology resources and budget allocation if they want to create a social media program for their advisors.

Social media marketing is a key component in an effective inbound marketing strategy, but it’s important to capture the right “voice” on your social media sites.

Demand is high for experienced executives across all channels. While advisor migration to independent RIAs remains the dominant trend, large wirehouse and bank players are also very much in the game for talent.

“We’re not maniacally focused on how many advisors we have affiliated with the firm,” says Scott Curtis, president of Raymond James Financial Services.

Commentary: The U.K. is debating putting a 0.75 percent cap on total fees, including an outright ban on any plans that charge more than that.

Detroit’s offer to replace a $3.5 billion unfunded pension liability with a $2 billion note “was not a serious proposal,” according to a Greenhill & Co. adviser hired by a city employee retirement fund.

A former JPMorgan Chase banker who managed Bernard Madoff’s account said the con man was on track to receive a $200 million loan less than a month before his arrest if the request hadn’t been dropped.

Janet Yellen, vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board and President Obama's pick to run the central bank, will appear before the Senate Banking Committee on Nov. 14.

State securities regulators have been ramping up examinations of investment advisors in the aftermath of the Dodd-Frank Act, which required more than 2,000 midsized advisors who had been overseen by the feds to register with state authorities.

What are the unique questions your target market should be asking themselves? Because of almost universal access to information, if the clients fully understood their problem or their questions they would have little need for an advisor.

Currencies and commodities were added to a list of financial products and related activities that are subject to investigation, according to a regulatory filing published by the New York-based company today.

In addition to an advisor shortage, bank programs will contend with the challenge of keeping up with technology and client expectations regarding communication practices.

The firm settled legal disputes with federal regulators tied to mortgage-backed securities for about $335 million.

The firms will be studied by U.S. regulators who are in the early stages of reviewing whether asset managers pose a potential risk to the financial system, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

Advisors can do a better job when it comes to preparing team members to succeed.