Registered reps serving multiple high-net-worth clients typically benefit from a benign domino effect. In many cases, an affluent-focused practice has its origins in a single client; if the rep does a good job serving that client, his actions set...

It wasn't tainted research. It wasn't late trading. It wasn't even good for a lot of headlines. But it was another ugly moment for investment advisors when, in mid-2004, politicians and regulators began looking into 529 college savings plan sales...

There's one thing that stands between the big retail brokerage firms and the high profit margins that the executives of these firms and their investors seek: the financial advisor. Yes, the wirehouses including embattled Morgan Stanley have...

In October 2003, a back-office glitch made Robert Burns the recipient of $12,000 that did not belong to him. Burns was an advisor with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, and the error involved crediting the funds to Burns' personal account...

Theodore Sihpol III, a former broker at Banc of America Securities (BAS), and poster boy for the market-timing scandals and the first target of Spitzer to say no to a plea offer has settled with the SEC. In 2003, the SEC alleged that Sihpol helped...

For this second installment of Fix My Practice (the first one appeared in the September 2005 issue), we talked to an insurance industry veteran who recently embarked on a push to expand his financial-planning practice. We asked three experts Steve...

Clients might not agree, but there's rising evidence that advisors are not charging enough for their services. According to Pricing Strategies for Maximum Success, a study Moss Adams executed for Schwab Institutional, most firms don't analyze...

If your pipeline is full of affluent prospects, you can skip this month's column. If, however, you could use more affluent prospects and new affluent clients on a more consistent basis, you are going to want to read this carefully and take notes...

Q: Is there any way my employer can find out if I receive W-2 income from other sources, which, by the way, are not from other brokerage firms? When I called the IRS, I was told there is no way it would disclose that confidential information to a...