Just what the small-business owner needed a new regulation that requires more work. In March, the Department of Labor handed down new regulations covering the disposition of funds abandoned in 401(k) plans when employees leave. Surprisingly often...

Any rep or branch office manager who has been disciplined by the NASD can attest to the organization's zealous dedication to enforcement. However, a recent SEC report shows that the NASD is far less enthusiastic about policing itself despite the...

Much has been made about Morgan Stanley CEO Phillip Purcell's 45 percent jump in salary for 2004, despite the firm's lagging stock price. But a look at what major securities firms pay their CEOs shows Purcell is closer to the bottom of the pay...

Tax planning for estates took a hit in 2001 when the White House decided to repeal the estate tax in 2010. But business is back. As the debate drags on over whether to make that repeal permanent, advisors and investors are deciding it's better to...

Ron Galen, a California-based financial planner, struck out in his bid to purchase Jose Canseco's 2000 World Series ring one of a host of memorabilia items the disgraced former slugger had placed on the block. Canseco, an admitted steroid user who...

During the day, Marc Frederic is a vice president and advisor for Smith Barney's Torrance, Calif., office. By night or, more accurately, during the morning he puts on iridescent, rainbow-colored spats to match his glittery topcoat, according to...

Merrill Lynch is taking a radical new look at how retirement and baby boomers are perceived and it could change the way their advisors structure their retirement businesses. A new study from the firm asserts that the oft-predicted baby boomer...

The good news for high-net-worth hunters: A large subset of affluent clients self-directed investors tend to be nonplussed by their current advisory relationship. The bad news: Inertia has a strong pull on this group. According to a recent report...

A new trend in 401(k)s: Small businesses trying to figure out just where all their service provider fees are going and whether the fees are too much. Firms like Illinois-based Clark Consulting are being hired to break down the fees, from whether...

The word carries enough negative connotations that it comes as no surprise when its presence in a conversation about a retiree's future makes all involved uncomfortable. But there's no reason for discomfort on the part of the client or the advisor...