Matt West thought he had it made when he became a Houston financial advisor three years ago. He quickly landed in Merrill Lynch's top quintile and stayed there. He built up a book of $40 million and generated $500,000 in annual production thanks...

I know, I know. You brokers never chase the hot dot. You create detailed financial plans and stick to them. You wouldn't dream of letting short-term market direction fads dictate your clients' long-term strategies. Seems every advisor I talk to...

Prudential Securities has told brokers on the lowest rung of the ladder they will be fired if they don't improve production and beef up their assets. Prudential, which, like many Wall Street firms, has cut staff in recent months, informed fifth...

Understandably, the losses of brokerage clients have gotten all the headlines. But the truth is that the bear market has also devastated many careers in the investment advisory business. As investors headed for the sidelines, many brokers saw...

In the heady days when startups were hotter than a Palm Springs parking lot in August, you could hardly turn around without tripping over an IPO. And all that money made some Wall Streeters lose their ethical footing, engaging in a variety of...

Fidelity asks: What best describes your investment strategy in this volatile market? Buying more stocks32% Buying more bonds16% Increasing my cash position21% No changes31% That's what 525 investors told Fidelity. Now give us your response: forums...

By now, you've heard all the arguments for becoming a wealth manager. But transforming yourself from a transaction-based broker to a more consultative and potentially more profitable financial advisor is easier said than done. How, for...

While it didn't create much buzz when it happened in early August, the purchase of Lockwood Financial Advisors, the leading independent managed money platform, by The Bank of New York, could be a big deal for brokers and advisors. At a minimum, it...

Bear Stearns has hired Rob Sandrew as a Boston-based associate director for the firm's advisor services business. Sandrew, who was a senior vice president of institutional brokerage sales for Boston Institutional Services, reports to John Tyers...

Clients may want to string up Bernie Ebbers and Ken Lay when they see what the corporate scandals are doing to their portfolios. But this is an opportunity for you: Investors aren't holding their financial advisors personally responsible for their...