It is time to close what is perhaps one of the darkest chapters in the history of modern finance. It is time for us to move on. Dick Grasso, NYSE Chairman If only it were that simple. The global settlement is nice the firms pony up $900 million in...
One of Merrill Lynch's major initiatives in the coming year will be to continue to attract clients to the firm's expanded banking service, known as Beyond Banking. As firms seek to grab an increasing percentage of a client's assets, they have...
When you strike up a professional relationship, you may be pleased to make a new friend. But you'll be really happy if that friend brings you business. Which brings us to this month's topic: Why financial advisors should get to know estate...
It's been a good year for Michael Rice, president of retail brokerage at Prudential Securities. According to Rice, Prudential's beleaguered brokerage unit has seen improvements in productivity, advisor attrition and market share. In early December...
A Dallas-based client paid a financial planner I know $3,700 for a comprehensive financial plan including retirement, investment and estate planning. One day, the client mentioned that his broker, who works for a national firm, was steamed at him...
Charles Schwab: How One Company Beat Wall Street and Reinvented the Brokerage Industry is the first full-length book about Schwab by an independent writer. In the book, author John Kador describes a company that is still fighting the us versus...
Until 9/11, Muslim investors seemed like an up-and-coming niche a huge yet under-served market with a need for specialized investment advice. To the handful of advisors who cater to Muslim Americans, the opportunity seemed almost limitless. With...
We've all been trained to think globally. And it's a good thing, too: Geographically diversifying an equity portfolio, over time, will dampen risk while enhancing returns. This has held true even in this year's market. Of the 24 major foreign...
