Practice Management

An NASD arbitration panel ordered Merrill Lynch to pay more than $1 million to investors Gary and Lisa Friedman last month for hiding conflicts of interest and issuing fraudulent research. According to the award, the panel found Merrill guilty of...

Small-business owners are typically a self-reliant lot, and this fact cuts two ways for financial advisors who would serve them. On the positive side, the advisor who gains access to a small-business owner has reached the decision maker, the...

If you're a fiduciary and don't want to get sued and fined pay close attention to litigation expert Dominic J. Campisi. Campisi, a partner in the San Francisco law firm of Evans Latham and Campisi, has been defending fiduciaries for about three...

Wealthy clients weigh a lot of factors when choosing a financial advisor cost of services is one of them, but it is far from the most important. Indeed, according to our research, low-cost provider considerations are rarely a decisive part of a...

When the Wall Street research scandal drew to its close last July as the SEC exacted a global settlement from the top investment banks many reps wondered how it would change their lives. In addition to coughing up a total of $875 million in fines...

Q: I joined my current firm in October 2003 and signed a contract that stipulated ticket charges would be $15. After only six months, the firm raised ticket charges to $25, and after another three months to $35. Because I complained and showed the...

Special needs trusts (SNTs) trusts created for the benefit of a disabled beneficiary present exciting opportunities for corporate fiduciaries. They also risk sapping fiduciaries' time and emotional energy. Sometimes, the wisest choice is for a...

The most frequently cited reason for lawsuits against attorneys is poor client communication.1 Comprehensive communication is especially critical in the complex, emotional and often conflict-ridden relationships between trustees and beneficiaries...