Sam Vetas, one of Morgan Stanley's top producers in Salt Lake City, Utah, has moved to UBS Securities, where he will be a senior vice president, remaining an advisor. After 13 years at Morgan Stanley, Vetas' practice had grown to more than $100...
Since the early 1980s, the will for married people has changed very little, but beginning next year, couples will be well advised to revisit those estate documents. In 2005 a provision of the 2001 Tax Act kicks in, reforming the way federal and...
The SIA Soft Dollars and Institutional Brokerage Conference took aim at a wide range of issues related to soft-dollar payments in the brokerage industry, but most of the conference's attendees were there to find out one thing: Can the practice be...
New York-based Shearson broker Charles Lewis won an aggravated harassment case against 67-year-old Ethel Scull, for phoning Lewis 1,208 times over eight days including 485 times on one day following the October 1987 crash. Scull was concerned her...
Charles Schwab's decision to replace David Pottruck as its CEO is, at its heart, an ironic statement on the firm's commitment to his business philosophy. Pottruck, who spent nearly 20 years with the firm, is legendary for his impassioned preaching...
Merrill Lynch in recent weeks has shuffled a number of branch managers to new offices. The new assignments are partially due to promotions and partially a reaction to managers leaving the firm, according to sources. The recent promotions of Jodi...
Death and taxes are an inevitable part of everyone's life. If you're a registered rep, you can add customer complaints to that short list. It's an article of faith among reps that once a complaint is lodged against them, it's an automatic black...
Harlan Kappel isn't a typical financial planner. For starters, Kappel, with American Express Financial Advisors in Dallas, declines to advise clients on asset allocation, portfolio diversification, mutual fund investments and the like. Indeed, he...
If selling to the affluent were a sport, every day would be game day. For better or worse, in investment sales, there is no practice field, and only serious players should suit up. At the risk of overextending the metaphor, I would further submit...
Stephanie Villalba is a high-ranking Merrill Lynch executive, but on a recent business trip, she found herself in a more humble position. While flying on the firm's corporate jet with some male colleagues, Villalba, who heads up Merrill's European...
