Broker response to James Gorman's appointment as president of the Merrill Lynch U.S. Private Client Group in September ranges from positively glowing to downright stinging. Some question how well Gorman understands what they do for a living since...
The terrorist attacks stunned investors from Wall Street to Main Street. In response, many are maintaining their investment resolve. But some, despite reassurances, pleading and even a few threats from their brokers, are dumping their long-term...
Forty-one million Americans have $1.7 trillion in 401(k) plans, according to data from the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America and the Department of Labor. So are retirement plans a ripe and ready market for brokers? Not exactly. Selling and...
How much can clients expect from you? They can expect your wisdom and guidance in developing and following a discipline. And when events create short-term stresses, they can also expect an extra dose of empathy and conviction (see Hanging Tough...
A broker who suffered retaliation by his firm won nearly $28 million in an arbitration decision. Of that amount, $25 million was punitive damages a record punitive award. In August, an NASD arbitration panel found that Waddell & Reed, an Overland...
Congress is working on a bill that would allow 401(k) vendors to recommend specific funds. The change would make it easier for brokers to advise retirement plan participants by altering the current 401(k) legal framework, the Employee Retirement...
Brokers are in the business of building bridges and building fences. Your success and longevity is directly related to your skill in these two vital construction projects. The following is a look at the tasks and dynamics involved in building...
If you subscribe to the theory that it takes an army to fully comprehend and explain the the art of being a financial services professional, then The American College has a book for you. Financial Planning: The New Century has 17 authors who...
The new set of proposed regulations for minimum required distributions (MRDs), issued in January by the Internal Revenue Service, has dramatically simplified the process of withdrawing assets from IRAs and retirement plans. The biggest advantage...
