While Fed developments should not be ignored, they should also not be an obsessive focus as they are only one element driving the markets.

The industry needs a few good men (and women). Almost three quarters of broker/dealer and RIA firm executives feel there is an advisor talent shortage, according to a recent poll by Fidelity Investments. But they’re not changing how they r...

Out of our cold, dead hands. | Copyright Melanie Conner, Getty Images The bond between a professional advisor and his clients is not easily broken. In fact, most consumers would rather give up their smartphone, favorite dessert or coffee t...

Investors go where the money is. | selensergen/iStock/Thinkstock Along with its stock market, the number of millionaires in China has skyrocketed, up 82 percent from 2012 to total 2.4 million, and another 50 percent to 3.6 million in 2014...

Fee-based? That's a lie. | jesadaphorn/iStock/Thinkstock Advisors should never use the term “fee-based” to describe their business. Writing on his Scholarly Financial Planner blog, Ron Rhoades outlines the narrow scope in which advisors ca...

Recent calls by pension fund leaders for companies to rethink share buybacks and to invest more in their businesses are not resonating with some wealth management leaders...

I am admittedly a little tired, but also energized and wanting more: We just concluded our second annual industry conference—Hightower's APEX—a collaborative forum for the disruptors of our industry, who never come up short on good ideas or stron...

There are a number of indicators that the market is at the peak of the cycle, but few speak as loudly as the surge in M&A activity.

One indicator has forecast big stocks gains in the past. Will 2015 be another banner year?