Just looking at the volume numbers for the CBOE's broad-based index options tells the story: through June, total index volume was up 42% compared to the first half of 2002 at the CBOE, making indexes the exchange's fastest growing product. Now...
A recent Fidelity Investments survey says clients still find portfolio performance to be the most important aspect of the client-advisor relationship. What can advisors do about this?
It may not be as exciting and thrilling as the running of the bulls, but the recent rumbling of the bulls on Wall Street has created it's own thrills.
High-profile trusts and estates lawyer Jonathan Blattmachr is famous for his clever use of trusts, family limited partnerships and sophisticated insurance plans to reduce inheritance and gift taxes. But last summer a particular insurance tactic...
A superior court judge in California has ruled for Smith Barney in a case related to a deferred compensation plan that has been the subject of several lawsuits from brokers who formerly worked for the firm. In the case of David Schachter v...
For years the most successful advisors have been gunning for the top of the money pyramid by tailoring services to the wealthiest clients. However, with stagnation in the pool of available wealthy clients, many reps are assessing whether their...
It was a victory in court yesterday for Merrill Lynch and three other large investment banks--Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Goldman Sach--as judges dismissed claims in two class action suits related to the firms' tainted stock...
Among the proposed revisions to mutual fund disclosure rules, the one relating to "soft-dollar" arrangements between fund companies and brokerages is touching off particularly spirited debate. At this year's Morningstar Investment Conference in...
