Is President Bush good for Wall Street? Until this spring, that was a hard case to make. During the first two years of the Bush Administration, Wall Street saw the S&P 500 sink by a cumulative 25 percent. A lingering recession sapped corporate...
In previous columns, I have addressed whom to target for managed accounts and why such investments are attractive to affluent clients. This month's column concentrates on seven key factors that drive successful investing of any kind. When meeting...
Last month, I was invited to the annual Royal Alliance National Education Conference, hosted by the independent broker/dealer at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It's a heady time for independent advisors. Indies are pumped up to take on the wirehouse...
It is a world of harsh realities for reps. Interest rates are at historic lows; stocks, while showing signs of life, are still radioactive to many clients. Yet competition for high-net-worth investors is at an all-time high. Client referrals...
It's all your fault. That's right. You, Mister Broker, are the problem. You are the primary reason why the average retail investor doesn't understand his mutual fund investments such as the impact of fund expenses on fund returns or even what an...
Back in 1985, Mary-Jo Iocavino started singing with the prestigious Oratorio Society of New York. The 200-member group, co-founded by Andrew Carnegie, whose wife also sang in the New York City chorus, doesn't take just anyone. So Iocavino, a...
As previously discussed in this column, creating and funding a family limited partnership or limited liability company (both types are referred to herein as an ) may well result in substantial estate gift tax savings. Recent cases involving FLPs...
A broker sued by a client typically has a lot of questions about rights and responsibilities. But none is more important than: Who is liable for my defense and for the possible damages that follow? What we're talking about here is indemnification...
LAS VEGAS If the Royal Alliance National Education Conference is any indication, independents are thinking one thing: The time to strike at wirehouses is now. The annual conference, held in late May at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, welcomed nearly 1...
