Wealth management

Financial Planning and the Foundation for Financial Planning recognize life-changing volunteerism with the 2nd annual Pro Bono Planners of the Year Awards.

End-of-life issues are never more relevant than when you're actually facing them. Whether it's a client or your own family member, proceed with care.

Financial professionals who hold a certified financial planner (CFP) certification can expect to generate more revenue and enjoy higher levels of client satisfaction than their counterparts without the designation, a new study has found.

LPL Financial reported second quarter net income of $39.5 million, down $6 million compared to $45.5 million in the same quarter of 2011. Net revenues for the second quarter of 2012 increased 1.5% to $907 million, from $894.0 million in the prior year period.

State Street Global Markets' Investor Confidence Index showed a slight increase in global investor confidence in July.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Thursday a stymied plan by U.S. regulators to reform money market mutual funds must be allowed to move forward.

Schwab Advisor Services says fewer RIA mergers and acquisitions took place in the first half of 2012 compared to the same period last year, but the average assets under management acquired in those transactions jumped dramatically.

Evercore Partners Inc., the advisory firm founded by former U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman, said second-quarter profit rose 19% as investment-banking revenue climbed.

Did you ever wonder why the word "billion" seems to elicit a terrible feeling in your gut? Do you remember when a billion dollars seemed like so much money it was unattainable? Do you remember when a millionaire was considered really wealthy? Now, a millionaire is not rich and a billionaire must have done something evil to become one.

Industry veteran John Sullivan is joining Dynasty Financial Services as senior vice president, RIA and Transition Services.

Here's what advisors need to know to help their clients build affordable and well-diversified portfolios using unit investment trusts.

Advisors trying to persuade prospects about the benefits of planning can point to a new study of household financial decision-makers that shows those who have taken the time to put together a plan feel more confident and report more success managing savings and investments.

Many bank advisors feel they aren’t getting enough referrals from branch employees. What can they do? Here are five tips to get your bank referrals flowing.

If anyone needs proof of the importance of revisiting their estate plans annually, the case of the high-net-worth Tweten family on the West Coast should supply it.

BlackRock Inc.’s Laurence D. Fink, who heads the world’s largest asset manager, said his firm needs to capture a larger share of the deposits that are going into U.S. equity exchange-traded funds.

If a potential breakaway broker of a larger firm were to sit down and think of all the negative considerations in starting his own RIA firm, it would be hard to imagine that any sensible person would venture into that type of quagmire. However, with all these potential risks facing a prospective breakaway broker, there exists an opportunity for the established RIA firm.

In a study of 1,025 independent RIAs, Schwab found that a client retention level of 97% helped to drive client referrals and to produce record levels of AUM and revenues last year.

Eugene M. Lerner has spent his six-decade career in the financial services industry trying to stay ahead of the curve. His decision to leave Morgan Stanley for HighTower speaks to where he thinks the industry is heading in the near future.

Fusion offers practice management and business consulting to independent financial advisors. NFP hopes the deal will increase its margins by next year.

Northern Trust has appointed 12-year company veteran Laura G. Mandel president of the Northern Trust Co. of Delaware.