During the day, Marc Frederic is a vice president and advisor for Smith Barney's Torrance, Calif., office. By night or, more accurately, during the morning he puts on iridescent, rainbow-colored spats to match his glittery topcoat, according to...
Merrill Lynch is taking a radical new look at how retirement and baby boomers are perceived and it could change the way their advisors structure their retirement businesses. A new study from the firm asserts that the oft-predicted baby boomer...
The good news for high-net-worth hunters: A large subset of affluent clients self-directed investors tend to be nonplussed by their current advisory relationship. The bad news: Inertia has a strong pull on this group. According to a recent report...
A new trend in 401(k)s: Small businesses trying to figure out just where all their service provider fees are going and whether the fees are too much. Firms like Illinois-based Clark Consulting are being hired to break down the fees, from whether...
The word carries enough negative connotations that it comes as no surprise when its presence in a conversation about a retiree's future makes all involved uncomfortable. But there's no reason for discomfort on the part of the client or the advisor...
Here's some hot news: According to a recent Wells Fargo/Gallup survey, 75 percent of small-business owners are with the U.S. health care system. Another shocker: The big issue is skyrocketing costs. As a result, more than 50 percent of all small...
One of the few aspects of the securities industry to escape significant regulatory intervention so far is the sale of variable annuity products. But that is about to change. The NASD, responding to a complaint filed by the Massachusetts Securities...
Businesses large and small have found 401(k) retirement plans to be an important benefit to attract and retain a superior workforce. But small-business owners often despite their good intentions rarely find the time or resources to select and...
Quick: Guess how much money investors in Putnam Investments mutual funds were cheated out of in the market-timing scandals. Hint: It wasn't the $110 million Putnam agreed to pay the SEC and Massachusetts's regulators. An academic, hired by Putnam...
Don't like the way that SEC investigator treated you while rifling through your files? Well, now you can report him. The SEC has set up a hotline and email address to send complaints about the conduct of its 495 inspectors. Calls to the line will...
