The Financial Planning Association is seeking to resurrect the concept of allowing the Securities Exchange Commission to collect fees to fund financial advisor exams. In the first annual advocacy event at the federal level, over 60 FPA members...
Ever think about leaving the smartphone, tablet and laptop at home while on vacation? Apparently, the richer a person is, the harder that is to do.
What does this mean for advisors? For one, they may have to be on call much more for their wealth...
Independent advisors are facing a myriad of challenges to their business, including emerging competition from “robo advisors” and an aging client population.
“Today’s independent advisors must make not one, but multiple strategic decisions to su...
Smart beta—or alternative beta, as some call it—is getting a lot of attention from investors and advisors these days, and many fund managers are launching new strategies in this area. These funds weight holdings in unconventional ways...
Bank of America Merrill Lynch lured a former BlackRock executive out of retirement to head up the firm’s affluent segment and strategy. For Mike Bitterly, the move is a homecoming of sorts, having started his career with Merrill Lynch as an advis...
Will FINRA’s proposed rule requiring firms to link to their publicly available BrokerCheck records increase investor awareness? The Financial Services Institute remains unconvinced, contending the regulator needs to perform a cost-benefit...
Social media does not get the attention it deserves by advisors, said Tina Powell, director of business management at Beacon Wealth Management in Hackensack, N.J. You wouldn’t shut down your website if traffic was down, “So I mean I...
Advisor advocates are on the offensive after SEC Commissioner Dan Gallagher’s said the commission should look at the possibility of an SRO (self regulatory organization) to provide oversight of RIAs...
With the bills piling up, almost half of millennials say they don’t have the funds to save for retirement right now. And over half believe they can’t afford a financial advisor to help them along the way.
In a survey of over 1,600 individuals be...
