Archive

How profitable are your clients? Most advisors don't know. And thats bad for business

Sure, automatic asset-allocation 529 plans are convenient. But you'd better be careful: One state's "conservative" allocation is another state's "aggressive" allocation

Less than 10 years after they settled the infamous boom-boom room case, Smith Barney is being sued for discrimination again. The new case, Fassbender Amochaev v. Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., d/b/a Smith Barney, was filed in United States...

Another assault on deferred compensation fails. After going two for three in a unique tug of war involving both the arbitration and court systems, former Smith Barney broker James McCarthy is likely throwing in the towel in his three-year fight...

Many older clients still have mortgages. How to advise them on whether to retire this debt

The Delaware Chancery Court has developed a unique approach to an appraisal issue that has dogged estate and gift tax valuations of subchapter S corporations ever since a string of controversial Tax Court cases earlier this decade. In Delaware...

NASD has been watching for brokers and firms who borrow from clients, agree to share losses or settle disputes privately

New York's highest court will soon decide whether a brokerage employee can contest the language an employer uses in the Form U5

SEC Busts Another Ponzi: The SEC filed securities fraud charges against Salvatore Favata, the former president of National Consumer Mortgage (NCM), a California company that held itself out as a residential mortgage broker. The complaint alleges...

If a client insists on liquidating part of her portfolio, particularly assets that are heavily concentrated, it's very risky to ignore her request