LPL Financial (Nasdaq: LPLA) has announced plans to acquire Rockville, Md.-based wealth management platform provider Fortigent, a move which executives and industry consultants say shows LPL’s commitment to the RIA space. Fortigent provides...
One of an investor's biggest bugaboos is inflation. Like a termite infestation, virulent inflation can eat at the integrity of a portfolio, turning it into a porous structure that leaks capital.
When most investors think of inflation, it's usual...
As clients stop accumulating wealth, move into retirement and start withdrawing their assets for income, you'd think this would have a negative impact on their advisors' revenues. But overall, advisors expect a net increase in revenues as clients...
About a year ago, analyst Meredith Whitney made her doomsday call about the municipal bond market, predicting mass defaults. But a year later, it's clear that Whitney was way off. According to Standard & Poor's data, municipal defaults in 2011...
Lenders hope to convince financial planners that reverse loans can be a safe, flexible financial tool for seniors. Many planners are skeptical of reverse loans due to their high fees; the industry also has been dogged lately by headlines about li...
Raymond James named Scott Curtis (left) to lead its independent broker/dealer unit, Raymond James Financial Services, replacing CEO Dick Averitt, who retires in 2012 after 33 years with the firm. Curtis has served as senior vice president of the...
