First there were robo advisors targeting different age groups, now different genders? A new automated online investment platform focused on women launched on Thursday. Called SheCapital, the Pennsylvania-based RIA founded by Tina Powell rolled out a low cost, robo platform aimed at do-it-yourself women who are focused on building wealth and saving for retirement. “Many women want to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to their money. Even so, they have traditionally been underserved by the financial services industry as a whole,” says Powell, who also serves as the director of business for Beacon Wealth Management.
Market Regulators Probing ETFs
Exchange-traded funds are the subject of investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and New York Stock Exchange regarding their performance following Monday's massive selloff, Fox Business is reporting. The regulators announced while there were no busted trades and no trades will be cancelled, they are looking at how the ETF price plunges rocked the markets. New rules put in place following the "flash crash" in 2010 provide plunge protection, but are also being blamed for the market chaos. "There were mini flash crashes in many ETFs because liquidity dried up as market makers and broker-dealers had no idea what a fund’s holdings were really worth,” Economist Ed Yardeni said.
Lawyers around the country bemoan the increasing influence of commercial document preparation sites offering online templates for set fees. However, lawyers will always be able to hang their hats on the fact that the services they provide extend far beyond simple document preparation into the complex realms of legal planning and advice. As a recent blog post points out, LegalZoom, the most prominent online document preparer, seems to have taken notice of this point of differentiation and adopted a new slogan in its ads: “Real Attorneys. Real Advice.” Interestingly, the fine print that appears at the bottom of the screen helpfully notes: “This is an advertisement of a prepaid legal services plan, not for an individual attorney. This is not an attorney recommendation or legal advice.” Even if it is only talking about the ad itself, it takes a “real attorney” to craft a disclaimer that so elegantly undermines an advertising slogan.
There are an estimated 57 million Americans and Canadians playing fantasy football this year, each of which will spend at least one hour per week during the workday to update their rosters, check injury reports and make fantasy-related trades. That amounts to up to $16 million in lost wages, according to consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. But while that time is taking away from firms' bottom lines, it's actually also good for business. "Unless you are J.J. Watt, who appears to put in 100 percent during every hour of his workday, it is impossible to reach full productivity,” CEO John Challenger said, adding that allowing workers to play at work can boost morale and productivity in the long run.
