Practice management

Advisors have not done enough to prepare the majority of wealthy investors for long-term care costs and financial support for extended family, according to a study conducted by U.S. Trust, a unit of Bank of America.

FINRA has increasingly put more firms on notice that they should expect their branch office doorbells to ring more often. In the past two years, FINRA has changed its approach when conducting examinations, favoring branch office inspections in lieu of the home office visits that it used to emphasize, said Susan Axelrod, executive vice president of regulatory operations at FINRA, at the self-regulatory organization’s annual conference on Monday.

A great wealth transfer may indeed be looming, but advisory firm executives are still focusing their creative energy on their boomer (and older) clients.

SEC Commissioner Elisse Walter endorsed a uniform fiduciary standard for all investment pros … then invited her audience to fight industry fraud and abuse by becoming whistleblowers

Only about 2,100 SEC-registered investment advisors switched their registration to state oversight, according to the North American Securities Administrators Association -- roughly half the number that the SEC estimated would switch as a result of the Dodd-Frank Act.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority will present the latest on fiduciary rules, enforcement and other issues affecting financial advisors at its annual three-day annual conference opening today in D.C.

Fidelity Investments has rolled out a smartphone application for NetBenefits 401(k) plan participants.

The House passed a controversial bill on Friday requiring the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct additional economic analysis on its rules.

A U.S. District Court ordered a former Ameriprise advisor to serve a year of house arrest and pay restitution for defrauding a client.

“The face of the advisor will change. There’s going to be a large cohort of retiring advisors and young advisors. They are going to be more diverse, and more will be working part-time. We have to adapt services to the new demand, and develop tools to communicate and interact with advisors.”

As advisors, we work in a disciplined world of risk management and probabilities, while our clients rely on feelings and “gut” decisions all day long. We shouldn’t take our discipline for granted. We need to remember the vulnerabilities that lurk in the hard-wiring of the human central nervous system.

SEC Chair Mary Jo White defended the agency's request for a significant budget increase before a House oversight committee, arguing that the additional funding is necessary to equip the SEC with the resources to handle a litany of regulatory tasks, including increased examinations of investment advisors and enforcement actions.

Ultrahigh-net-worth families are asking advisors more questions about family offices. Here are a few guidelines to think about.

The firm added five advisors, with one from Raymond James and one from Morgan Stanley, to further expand in the region.

Same-sex and divorced couples can be a profitable niche for advisors, if they know how to market.

Mass affluent investors are beginning to regain confidence following the economic downturn, according to the Spring 2013 Merrill Edge Report.

What impression do your clients get when they enter your office before even saying word? Are they comfortable and receptive or turned off? Ron Carson says little things can go a long way when it comes to attracting and retaining clients.

The Financial Services Institute gained traction with a new round of advisors from Capital Investment Companies.

The average high-net-worth investor is changing and that spells a significant opportunity for advisors.

Read any number of studies, or just glance around most industry conferences and you'll see it: Women make up a noticeable minority of the financial advisory community. The CFP Board is trying to do something about it.