Phoenix—“The market volatility is getting to everyone,” Greg moaned as we chatted briefly following my talk. “I recognize that it’s a perfect storm for rainmaking, but I can feel my support personnel getting pulled into the panic. I guess it’s...
Ameriprise Financial’s (NYSE: AMP) sale of Securities America to Ladenburg Thalmann (AMEX: LTS), announced today, is mostly a positive for the firm’s rep base, industry sources said. But the size of the retention packages Ladenburg...
The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards has decided that applicants for the coveted CFP mark must take a controversial 45-hour “capstone” course, starting next year, before being allowed to sit for the certification exam...
Managing client data for the financial advisor and the investing family
Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. has agreed to buy Securities America Financial Corp., the troubled independent broker/dealer, from Ameriprise Financial Inc. for at least $150 million in cash, Ladenburg and Ameriprise said this morning...
These are the times that try men's souls. -- Thomas Paine
Tom Paine should have been a financial advisor. Attempting to bolster the spirits of Continentals after a retreat from a superior British force in the winter of 1776, Paine wrote, “The...
Despite stomach-churning market volatility and continuing economic uncertainty, the summer swoon of 2011 is still a far cry from the perilous plunge that shook the country in 2008, say wealth managers and family office executives.
The independent b/d industry successfully lobbied to amend a bill recently introduced in California that would prohibit the “willful” misclassification of independent contractors who fit the definition of an employee...
Retiring baby boomers are pouring their money into variable annuities with guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits. The problem is, these products have a number of hidden drawbacks. Financial advisors need to keep clients informed.
Welcome to the cloud: an inexpensive and secure way to store and network information that independent reps are adopting.