Bank Investment Consultant articles from September 2006

Bank Investment Consultant archives from September 2006

Vive la Difference!
September 1, 2006... What you're holding right now is the new, improved Bank Investment Consultant. Pretty, isn't it? But as you read it, we hope you'll notice the changes are more than skin deep. We've worked long and hard to come up with content that will help...

Lifecycle and Lifestyle Funds Gain Ground.
September 1, 2006... It's no longer anecdotal: Lifecycle and lifestyle mutual funds have been touted as all the rage among investors. The Investment Company Institute's latest retirement market study backs that up with numbers. The study, U.S. Retirement...

Banks' VA Sales Set an All-Time High.
September 1, 2006... After being flat for about a year, banks' variable annuity (VA) sales reached an all-time high in the first quarter of 2006, but observers doubt this trend will last. The 15%, or $5.3 billion, jump in VA sales-from $4.6 billion in the...

A Bright Future for ETFs.
September 1, 2006... Growth in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is gaining momentum according to a report by Boston-based consultancy Celent Communications, ETFs-All Aboard! Are ETFs Gaining on the Mutual Fund Industry? The report predicts that ETFs will see 33% annual...

Cold Cash Is Heating Up.
September 1, 2006... Money market fund yields rose with the mercury this summer, and the long-neglected instruments are enjoying inflows not seen since 2000, according to data from New York-based iMoneyNet. "I don't think there's anything out there as...

Failure To Merge: Why do banks that buy brokerages so often wind up running them as separate units?(Company overview)
September 1, 2006... In 1998, Key Corp., the parent of Key Bank, had a small in-house investment division. But with the bull market raging, management wanted to turbo charge the bank's investment services by acquiring a successful existing brokerage. So...

The Sky's the Limit: Smith Barney advisors find a high-flying niche in managing pilots' retirement assets.
September 1, 2006... Ask an advisor to identify a wealthy niche and he might point to doctors, lawyers or athletes. Smith Barney advisors William Van Sant and Thomas Currey found theirs literally among the jet set: They manage retirement assets for American...

Sealing the Deal: Most sales take at least two sessions to get signed, sealed and delivered. But that's a good thing. Here's why...
September 1, 2006... Scott Barstad, a private client officer and investment rep for Fintegra at First Interstate Financial Services Group in Gillette, Wyo., doesn't focus on investments until the end of the first meeting with a prospective client. He wants clients...

Clear Sale-ing.
September 1, 2006... 1) Ask open questions. Let prospective clients tell you what they need, not the other way around. 2) Take your time. Many people you'll deal with won't know an annuity from an aardvark. Use analogies the client will understand to explain...

Help Wanted: Assistants cost money, but without help, advisors often find themselves hitting a production wall.
September 1, 2006... Gloria Goode was a one-woman show. The Uvest advisor was hired by Bank of Clarke County in 1997 to spearhead its Eagle Investments brokerage program. For two years she worked alone, signing on clients and processing their accounts, forging ties...

Income for Life: Advisors-used to helping clients save for retirement-face new challenges when it's time for clients to start spending that nest egg.
September 1, 2006... Today's retirees are worried about outliving their savings-and with good reason. A person retiring in 1950 could, on average, expect to live just 10 years into retirement. With today's life expectancy at 84 years, Americans may spend as many...

The Bay State offers local advisors a diverse range of opportunities.
September 1, 2006... From the five colleges, to Boston and the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts reps are serving interesting niches. Carlie Dugan, a Raymond James rep and vice president of Danversbank's financial services in Danvers, is transitioning her book to...