Much has changed since Elliot Spitzer's efforts exploded the well-entrenched preferred list model for mutual fund distribution. Centralized home-office due-diligence teams are now in the driver's seat, with advisors selecting products for their...
Ignore the Next Big Thing? Who would do such a thing? The fee-based model, with its steady stream of revenue, is an attractive way of doing business for lots of advisors. And it has been billed as the newest rage for years now. But there are still...
As Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and other firms take write-offs of about $100 billion (and counting) due to the credit bubble, you might have had this gnawing feeling: This is familiar I've seen this movie before. And you would have been correct. You...
Maybe Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain just wanted to test his audience. At an investment conference today, Thain said that Merrill would abandon CDO underwriting and other structured-credit businesses, the very ones that led to the subprime meltdown...
This week, Kevin Matras shows you why a good stock-
screener can be your best tool for picking options. See how, and get three top, "optionable" stock picks from some of his best screens.
It looks like the worst of the mortgage meltdown is far from over for the big banks. In a surprise warning today, UBS announced that it would post a record $4 billion
With 75 million baby boomers galloping into retirement, wealth managers are going to be spending a lot of their time deciding what retirement income products are best suited for their clients. Recent research shows variable annuities are not among...
Apparently, some people still think it’s far too easy for brokers to wipe their records clean, particularly where customer dispute information is concerned. A story on SmartMoney
