Here's some hot news: According to a recent Wells Fargo/Gallup survey, 75 percent of small-business owners are with the U.S. health care system. Another shocker: The big issue is skyrocketing costs. As a result, more than 50 percent of all small...
One of the few aspects of the securities industry to escape significant regulatory intervention so far is the sale of variable annuity products. But that is about to change. The NASD, responding to a complaint filed by the Massachusetts Securities...
Businesses large and small have found 401(k) retirement plans to be an important benefit to attract and retain a superior workforce. But small-business owners often despite their good intentions rarely find the time or resources to select and...
Quick: Guess how much money investors in Putnam Investments mutual funds were cheated out of in the market-timing scandals. Hint: It wasn't the $110 million Putnam agreed to pay the SEC and Massachusetts's regulators. An academic, hired by Putnam...
Don't like the way that SEC investigator treated you while rifling through your files? Well, now you can report him. The SEC has set up a hotline and email address to send complaints about the conduct of its 495 inspectors. Calls to the line will...
Arbitrations are designed to be the final word in disputes between investors and the firms and reps that serve them. Thus, it is not surprising that when an NASD arbitration panel hands down a ruling, it measures its words carefully. Very...
If there's one thing that irks reps about American Express Financial Advisors, it is the way the firm keeps changing its rules. Since launching its unique three-tier career-track system in 2000, the company has regularly tweaked payouts, fees...
The Generations column in the March 2005 issue (In Praise of Work, page 114) contained an error. It stated that an investor who earns $4,000 in a given year could transfer $4,000 from a taxable checking account to a Roth IRA for himself, plus...
Ask the average rep to free associate on the name H&R Block, and one word would appear in virtually all the responses: taxes. Block has been a fixture in the tax-preparation business for so long that its name is synonymous with tax season. But...
Most of the cash flowing into exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has focused on a few big funds, especially ones that track popular benchmarks, such as the S&P 500. Such funds are excellent choices for advisors seeking a core holding for clients. But...
