Six years ago, Hilliard Lyons, a successful small broker/dealer with roots dating back to 1854, shocked many by selling itself to PNC Bank. To many, the Louisville, Ky., b/d was the model small firm, a master of its own destiny and consistently...
The American Jobs Creation Act is on its face aimed specifically at large, multinational corporations, but it also packs plenty of positives for small-business owners. The catch is that finding these positives and applying them to a specific...
When Sallie Krawcheck was brought in to run Smith Barney two years ago, she was hailed as a savior Mrs. Clean, the last honest research analyst and the best choice possible to turn around a company mired in the infamous WorldCom research scandal...
If you're looking for high-net-worth clients and who isn't? there are a few tried and true ways to find them. One is to be the manor born. If you have a III at the end of your name, three generations of Ivy League alumni behind you and cousins who...
James Gorman, head of Merrill Lynch's private client group, believes the brokerage industry will continue to consolidate in the coming years. He remains coy about what type of firm interests Merrill, but he was firm on one matter: the fact that...
November's news that Bob Mulholland was leaving Merrill Lynch wasn't entirely a surprise. He had been co-head of the 14,000-strong retail brokerage unit, but Merrill insiders figured all along that only one boss would prevail. The news is...
The overhaul of the mutual fund industry spearheaded by Eliot Spitzer is widely viewed as a victory for investors, but some analysts are challenging that notion. In September 2003, Spitzer set off a firestorm, charging mutual fund companies with...
It seems the more you get involved in your clients' charitable intentions, the likelier it is that you end up giving away your two most precious commodities: your time and their money. But the fact remains that assisting benevolent activities...
Q: I have about $154,000 remaining on a forgiveable loan that I received when I joined a major wirehouse in 2001. Recently I was terminated for unauthorized trading in a client's fee-based account. About 3 percent of it was invested in stocks. On...
