The International Association for Financial Planning (IAFP), in a departure from past policy, is now calling for its members to become Certified Financial Planners."It's in the best interest of both the public and the profession that consumers be...
If you've been in the business fewer than 10 years, don't count on "graduating" from the industry's regulatory part of continuing education upon your 10-year anniversary.The Securities Industry/Regulatory Council on Continuing Education has...
When Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Discover changed the name of its Lombard discount brokerage unit to Discover Brokerage Direct, it caused some Dean Witter reps to wonder about how the unit would compete in the future.The reason for the name change...
Industry executives who worry that individual investors are forsaking the full-service sector can relax a bit, according to a recent study by Cerulli Associates, a Boston-based fund consultant.While investor fondness for lower cost products such...
Mergers and alliances, together with technology, is creating the best cross-marketing opportunities the industry has ever seen. But the question is, can firms leverage this opportunity into profit or will the complexities of cross-selling prove...
EVEREN reportedly is pushing its Mentor Funds, of which it is part owner, along with Wheat First Butcher Singer (now Wheat First Union). One rep reports the firm has been offering double credits and sales trips for the last year, with the intent...
David Cray knows the perils of whistle-blowing. More than three years ago, Cray, then an associate vice president at NationsSecurities in Florida, warned his bosses in writing about what he thought were serious problems at the firm. Among other...
Conventional wisdom says that the more you can put into your pension plan, Keogh or IRA, the better off you are. Think again, say some estate planners.Retirement plans are great when you're alive-you get tax deferral, a nice write-off and...
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Brokers could face yet one more state licensing test. The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), the state regulators organization, is revamping the licensing procedures for what the states call "investment adviser...
