Investment News articles from November 2005

Investment News archives from November 2005

IRS renews its agreement with Free File Alliance.(Tax Watch)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Mark Battersby The Internal Revenue Service and the Free File Alliance recently announced an agreement to renew their partnership, extending free tax services and electronic filing to an eligible 93 million taxpayers. Under...

Advisers are raising their fees; Others are adding charges for services that used to be free.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Brooke Southall SAN FRANCISCO - Emboldened by increasing demand for their services, many financial - or at least thinking about it. The evidence is mostly anecdotal but nonetheless suggests that advisers are starting to feel...

Alpha fund thrives on edge of the hedge universe.(Street Wise)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jeff Benjamin Lee Schultheis has spent much of the past three years climbing the steep side of a mountain in trying to get the investment world on board with his Alpha Hedged Strategies Fund (ALPHX). Part of the challenge was...

One on One With Michael A. Leibowitz, Rita Robbins of Invescor.(One on One)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Bruce Kelly Michael A. Leibowitz and Rita Robbins want to change how advisers sell insurance. The two, the chairman and president, respectively, of Invescor Ltd., say it's only a matter of time before regulators begin...

Insurers smell timing in frequent VA trades; But clients fight for right to unfettered trades.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Gary S. Mogel NEW YORK - Some companies are marketing variable annuities by touting the client's ability to trade mutual funds within the VAs but then restricting that ability when frequent trades appear to be market timing,...

U.S. Trust evaluates whether to continue well-received 'Greatness' community visits; Former Secretary of State Powell a hit with Harlem audience in series finale.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Charles Paikert NEW YORK - U.S. Trust Corp. is evaluating whether to continue its "Conversations with Greatness'' series, which concluded last month with a visit by former Secretary of State Colin Powell to a community center in...

Defamed reps in Calif. have fewer legal options.(Short Interests)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Dan Jamieson The California Supreme Court has left in place a controversial decision by a California appeals court that gave absolute legal immunity to broker-dealers for what they put on a broker's U-5 termination form. The...

Closed-end bargains?(Short Interests)
November 7, 2005... Byline: David Hoffman NEW YORK - Now may be the time for the sophisticated investor to buy closed-end funds, according to one analyst. Mariana Bush, a Washington-based analyst of closed-end and exchange traded funds with Wachovia...

MetLife timely in integrating with Travelers; But execs say costs top expectations.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Gary S. Mogel NEW YORK - Despite a few blips, MetLife Inc.'s integration of Travelers Life and Annuity Co., which it acquired in July, appears to be progressing on schedule. "We are just starting to see the benefits of the...

Survey criteria.(Special Report: Separately Managed Accounts)
November 7, 2005... The InvestmentNews/Citigroup SMA Survey was conducted by Mathew Greenwald & Associates Inc., a Washington-based consulting and research firm. 505 investors were interviewed by telephone. * 251 used separately managed accounts and ...

Growth equity managers make comeback; Value funds lose grip on top performers of most-used funds.(Mutual Funds in DC Plans)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Douglas Appell BOSTON - Growth equity managers grabbed the limelight away from value managers among the top-performing mutual funds most used in defined contribution plans for the one-year period ended Sept. 30, claiming 14 of the...

Despite great strides, HSAs problematic for employers; Choosing plans and explaining them seen a challenge.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Sara Hansard WASHINGTON - This year is expected to be a watershed year for companies to begin offering health savings accounts, but the new consumer-driven health plans have proved to be a problem for many companies. A report...

Critics slam limits on independent research; The setting of caps by managers called `discriminatory'.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Gregory Crawford NEW YORK - Money managers could be shortchanging their investors by limiting the amount of independent investment research they are willing to pay for, critics of such limitations charge. "This is a case where...

Citigroup moving separates into mainstream; Multimedia drive seeks to educate advisers, investors.(Special Report: Separately Managed Accounts)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jeff Benjamin DETROIT - Citigroup Inc.'s asset management division this week is slated to unveil plans for a full-scale multimedia campaign designed to move separate accounts closer to the mainstream of financial services. The...

Clipper Fund directors aren't sold on new skipper; Old Mutual touts another affiliate to replace PFR.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Douglas Appell BOSTON - When the independent directors of the $6.2 billion Clipper Fund Inc. choose an investment adviser next month, they won't necessarily buy what Old Mutual Asset Management is selling: Barrow Hanley Mewhinney &...

You might not be as diversified as you thought; Plans' assumption of static correlation not always valid.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Vince Calio NEW YORK - Sometimes the returns of the equity and debt markets move in a similar direction, and sometimes they don't, according to a new academic paper. Although the findings appear simple, they could be extremely...

Plunge seen in store for small-cap stocks; Expected correction could spell trouble for the investor.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Vince Calio NEW YORK - Small-cap-stock performance is due for a meltdown, researchers warn. That would be bad news for the institutional investors that shifted assets to small-cap-growth and small-cap-value equities in the past...

Bird flu could spread to worldwide economy; Markets likely vulnerable to potential pandemic, Harris strategist says.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Barry B. Burr CHICAGO - Investors need to prepare for a potential outbreak of an avian flu pandemic that could kill millions and force disruptive quarantines worldwide, putting the global economy and financial system at risk, warns...

Many providers expect Roth 401(k) to hit ground running; Ready to offer variety of services to adopting sponsors.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jenna Gottlieb NEW YORK - Many top 401(k) providers expect their Roth 401(k) education efforts to pay off with early and high adoption rates. Plan sponsors will be able to offer the new plan - in which contributions are made on...

Wachovia building assets in wealth management; Bank credits hard-nosed approach to referrals.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Brooke Southall SAN FRANCISCO - Wachovia Corp.'s wealth management operation is starting to gain assets, thanks to a more deliberate effort aimed at shaking referrals out of its bankers. That success is evident in results it...

Brinker banking on bundled SMA-only 401(k); Sees real opportunity for its first DC product.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jenna Gottlieb NEW YORK - Brinker Capital Inc. sees a real opportunity in the defined contribution market by offering a bundled managed-account-only 401(k) plan - a product only a handful of providers offer. Berwyn, Pa.-based...

Scandals less of a threat than fiduciary lapses; High incidence of errors in retirement plans.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Thao Hua LONDON - Inadvertent fiduciary lapses and other operational problems pose the real legal threat to most defined benefit and defined contribution plans rather than headline scandals such the one at Enron Corp., according to...

S&P index revamp to boost fund turnover; Higher costs from capital gains and trading expected.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Frederick P. Gabriel Jr. BOSTON - Standard & Poor's plan to revamp the methodology behind its popular growth and value indexes next month will lead to higher-than-normal turnover among some exchange traded and traditional mutual...

Tax reform plans seen as too tame; Advisers say simplification is not simple enough.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Sara Hansard WASHINGTON - Some financial advisers are disappointed that the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform didn't go farther than it did in advocating sweeping reforms, even though some proposals are considered by...

ETFs will continue to surge but won't replace mutual funds.(Other Views)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Mark Elzweig and Nancy Miller Exchange traded funds are on the brink of something really big, judging by the media attention this obscure corner of the market has garnered in the past year. From Forbes to The Motley Fool, from...

Adopting a culture of compliance.(Conference Call)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Charles Paikert NEW YORK - The Securities and Exchange Commission expects financial advisory firms to have disaster recovery plans and to test them every year, Timothy Simmons, a certified financial planner and managing director of...

Tit for tat: Advisers provide banking services; Can offer CDs, money funds with higher rates.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Gary S. Mogel NEW YORK - Advisers are turning the tables on banks that got into the financial advice business - by offering banking services to clients. "Banks that went into financial planning have, for the most part, done a...

Customer service looking more like disservice.(Monday Morning)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jim Pavia What has happened to customer service? The American Customer Satisfaction Index, a yearly survey run by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, showed a drop in satisfaction this year, and it's at one of its lowest...

Take a deep breath: Tax reforms deserve study.(Editorial)
November 7, 2005... President Bush's tax reform panel has labored mightily and brought forth two plans, both of which have quickly been attacked by various groups. That's understandable; the reform proposals gore an awful lot of oxen. Some critics say...

Closing Quote.(Quotes)
November 7, 2005... "If you have employees who can't stop talking, send them on the road that week.'' Timothy Simmons, managing director of Ashland Compliance Group, on preparing for a visit from a Securities and Exchange Commission auditor. Page 44

Fund uses leverage to decrease risk.(Short Interests)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Vince Calio NEW YORK - PanAgora Asset Management is incubating a "risk parity plus fund.'' The Boston-based manager's new strategy, which aims to offer a more diversified approach to investing in stocks and bonds, will take a...

Better decisions via the Internet.(Short Interests)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Gregory Crawford NEW YORK - Contrarian investors leverage common thinking to go against the grain, but a new website seeks to use common thinking to help investors make better decisions. In September, Stephan Bisse, Sam...

Reps cry foul over sales of index annuities; Claim products are misrepresented to their customers.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Dan Jamieson IRVINE-A dispute is brewing between brokers and insurance agents over sales of equity index annuities. Brokers are hot about losing annuity customers to insurance agents and are accusing agents of misrepresenting...

Identity theft hits online brokerage accounts; SEC issues guide to investors on how to guard against it.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Bruce Kelly NEW YORK - The ugly reality of identify theft is seeping into the brokerage business. Securities regulators clearly are concerned. Last Thursday, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a guide to investors...

ICI finds slight drop in mutual fund ownership; Weaker stock market dampens consumer enthusiasm for funds.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Frederick P. Gabriel Jr. BOSTON - The number of U.S. households owning mutual funds dropped to 53.7 million over the past year, down slightly from 53.9 million a year earlier, the Investment Company Institute said last week. ...

Adviser's hedge fund strategy shuns hedge funds; Hybrid mutual funds offer greater transparency and liquidity, lower cost.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: David Hoffman NEW YORK - A financial adviser has developed a strategy that offers hedge-fund-like returns without investing in hedge funds - a strategy he's hoping to manage for other advisers in separate accounts. "We have...

All-electronic proxy voting gains steam; Eliminating paper would mean huge cost savings.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: David Hoffman NEW YORK - A relatively new company is hoping to make the proxy process easier for institutional investors by making it all electronic. Luckily for Swingvote LLC of Atlanta, its timing couldn't be better. The...

TIAA-CREF wants do-over on fee vote.(Reverse Spin)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Frederick P. Gabriel Jr. The saying "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again'' has got to be hanging on someone's office door at TIAA-CREF. On Tuesday, the New York-based money manager said that it will go back to...

FSC of Atlanta to acquire Pan-Am of New Orleans; Katrina not a factor in sale, execs say.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Bruce Kelly NEW YORK - Mergers and acquisitions continue to surge among independent-contractor broker-dealers. FSC Securities Corp. of Atlanta said at the end of October that it would acquire all 130 registered representatives...

NAVA, publisher to issue joint industry newsletter; Watchdogs warn of conflicts of interest and "cheerleading stories''.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Gary S. Mogel NEW YORK - A prominent newsletter for the variable annuity industry published by an independent media outlet announced in October that it has become the "official publication'' of the main variable annuity trade...

Brokers decry cost, confusion of Merrill rule; Tension rising as the deadline approaches.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Charles Paikert NEW YORK - With only three months to go before the implementation of the Securities and Exchange Commission's latest revision of the so-called Merrill Lynch rule of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, compliance...

Some mortgage brokers want to be like advisers; But some planners still liken them to used-car salesmen.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jeff Benjamin DETROIT - Mortgage brokers appear to be the latest group to try to latch on to the growth of the financial planning industry. In August, the CMPS Institute in Ann Arbor, Mich., began offering what is believed to...

Study: Adoption of separates accelerated by knowledge; Half of owners, 17% of non-owners plan to invest soon.(Special Report: Separately Managed Accounts)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jeff Benjamin DETROIT - Investors in general might not know a lot about separately managed accounts, but they know what they like. A survey of 505 investors, 251 of which had at least a portion of their assets allocated to...

Fund returns for the past year have been far better `over there.'.(The Markets)
November 7, 2005... Returns of domestic-equity funds for the one-year period significantly lagged returns generated by funds investing internationally. For instance, U.S. funds averaged an 11.61% return, versus Latin American funds' 64.64%. Even the...

Thou shalt invest, Bible says.(Short Interests)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Gary S. Mogel NEW YORK - The best book for motivating prospective clients to take charge of their finances may be The Good Book, one adviser believes. "There is a misconception among Christians that their reward will come only...

Prudential exec urges waiting to take Social Security.(Conference Call)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Sara Hansard WASHINGTON - Waiting longer to start taking Social Security benefits could help many retirees, particularly women, a Prudential official said here at an Oct. 27 conference on women's retirement issues. Retirees...

Exempt funds, ICI asks FERC.(Short Interests)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Sara Hansard WASHINGTON - Passive investors, such as mutual funds, that invest in public utilities should be exempt from requirements that they open their books and records to energy regulators, the Investment Company Institute...

UBS gets green light.(Short Interests)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Sara Hansard WASHINGTON - UBS Financial Services Inc. of New York can offer its institutional customers cash management accounts as brokerage accounts and not advisory accounts under a Sept. 29 "no- action'' letter from the...

SMA marketing blitz is headed your way; Challenge is plain ignorance, study finds.(Special Report: Separately Managed Accounts)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Jeff Benjamin DETROIT - Financial advisers should brace for a full-scale educational and marketing assault from the separately managed accounts industry. According to the findings from a coordinated InvestmentNews/Citigroup...

Some reps see changes to marketing, sales fees; Policies amended for funds of IDEX, WM and Van Kampen.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Bruce Kelly NEW YORK - Some registered representatives are seeing losses or gains to their incomes as mutual fund companies jockey to pay reps for selling funds amid an ever-shifting regulatory landscape. A variety of brokers...

Change at Magellan's helm not enough to sway advisers; Lange may be good, they concede, but fund remains too unwieldy.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: David Hoffman NEW YORK - Fidelity Investments' decision last week to put a new manager in charge of its flagship Magellan Fund, the mutual fund industry's best-known fallen angel, isn't scoring points with many financial advisers....

At the Bell; NASD likely to amend VA suitability proposal.(Late News)
November 7, 2005... One of the most controversial provisions of NASD's variable annuity suitability rule will likely be dropped, an official said Friday. NASD of Washington is "looking to eliminate'' a provision requiring supervisors to review recommendations...

Cox talks tough in China about market reforms; In no-nonsense language, he urges transparency by Chinese companies.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Dan Jamieson IRVINE, Calif. - Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox is still hawkish on China. Known for his get-tough approach to China while serving in Congress, he kept it up on a trip there last month....

Corporates serious about direct access to shareholders; Say current proxy process is clumsy and expensive.(News)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Dan Jamieson IRVINE, Calif. - Corporate America wants direct access to shareholders, but intermediaries such as brokerage firms and custodial banks are fighting the idea. For the past year, the Washington-based Business...

Calendar.(Calendar/Datebook)
November 7, 2005... NOVEMBER 8-9 - Sixth annual Hedge Fund Regulation and Compliance Forum, Financial Research Associates LLC. Princeton Club, New York. (800)280-8440 or frallc.com. 9 - Deppe Lecture, The American College. Guardian Life Insurance Company...

Expected rebirth of incubated funds revives a debate; Advisers complain performance data can be misleading.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: David Hoffman NEW YORK - The time is ripe for investors to see more "incubated'' mutual funds - those that build up track records in-house before being made available to the investing public, according to industry experts. ...

Compliance constraints too onerous for some; Smith Barney veteran moves down the street.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Brooke Southall SAN FRANCISCO - She is but a solitary breakaway broker, but Mary Ann Lambert may represent the other side of the compliance coin in terms of where financial advisers decide to set up shop. Some independent...

iPods become medium for financial information; Process can be clunky, but "podcasts'' appeal to tech-savvy clientele.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Ilana Polyak NEW YORK - The American landscape is littered with teenagers and young adults whose ears are forever attached to the white headphones of an iPod. Now real estate investors are joining these plugged-in masses. ...

Rebukes exchanged in battle over rule on fund directors; Debate over the SEC's response to appeals court's order intensifies.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Dan Jamieson IRVINE, Calif. - Acrimony is heating up in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce against the Securities and Exchange Commission. The suit involves the SEC rule passed last year requiring that the...

Long-term care starts to take on a homier look; Advisers enlisted as aging in place grows as an option.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Deborah Nason NEW YORK - Financial advisers are referring clients to new models of long-term care that focus on providing services to older Americans in their own homes. With 83% of Americans age 45 and older wishing to remain...

Taking an international stance? It may be best to think small.(The Markets)
November 14, 2005... If you are invested in international small- and mid-cap funds (either growth or value), you are having a very good year. As of the end of October, these two groups - with returns of 12.59% and 13.13%, respectively - had outperformed all U.S....

Fraudsters pose as broker firms; More broker-dealers becoming victims of aggressive ID thieves.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Bruce Kelly NEW YORK - At least 75 broker-dealers' identities have been stolen by scam artists, according to sources familiar with the Securities and Exchange Commission's tracking of such "mirror fraud.'' Using nearly the...

Holiday cheer - and fear.(Short Interests)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Brooke Southall SAN FRANCISCO - The good news is that it'll be a merry Christmas for the richest families in America. The bad news is that it might not be a happy New Year, according to a new survey conducted by the American...

Leuthold gets caught up in Refco mess.(Short Interests)
November 14, 2005... Byline: David Hoffman NEW YORK - The Leuthold Funds group, advised by Leuthold Weeden Capital Management LLC of Minneapolis, is well known to financial advisers and may soon become familiar to lawyers. Earlier this month, Leuthold...

Oz as allegory for monetary debate? Gee Wiz!(Monday Morning)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Mike Clowes Late last month, Warner Bros. Studios of Burbank, Calif., released a new, state-of-the-art DVD of "The Wizard of Oz,'' one of the greatest of all children's movies. No doubt most of you have seen it more than once...

FPA gets new board members.(Short Interests)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Jeff Benjamin DETROIT - The Financial Planning Association in Denver last week named four new members to its board. The new directors are Susan K. Bradley, founder of The Sudden Money Institute in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Tom...

Many going it alone with retirement plans; 60% of investors lack even a written document.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: David Hoffman NEW YORK - Nearly 60% of retirees, and half of those who expect to retire within five years, are preparing for their financial future without the help of a financial adviser, according to a soon-to-be-released study....

One on One With William C. Carey of Fidelity Registered Investment Advisor Group.(One on One)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Frederick P. Gabriel Jr. Fidelity Investments' recent decision to put William C. Carey in charge of a unit that caters to independent financial advisers might have seemed, well, wacky. After all, Mr. Carey, 45, came from the...

Mortgage training program designed to ease the sleaze.(Other Views)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Gibran Nicholas I would like to clarify the article "Some mortgage brokers want to be like advisers'' [Nov. 7]. The certification program for the certified mortgage planning specialist designation consists of 20 hours of...

Personality drives retirement savings.(Short Interests)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Gary S. Mogel NEW YORK - If you have clients who are optimists, worriers or realists, you might want to consider spending extra time on their retirement plans. Those personality types are the most resistant to implementing...

People.
November 14, 2005... New York Life Investment Management LLC has promoted Anthony Malloy, 42, to senior managing director and head of the securities investment group. He will oversee more than $100 billion in fixed-income investments, including high-yield bonds,...

Evergreen fund betting that it can beat its bogey.(Street Wise)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Jeff Benjamin William Zieff, manager of the $1.6 billion Evergreen Large Cap Equity Fund (EVSAX), will be setting the pace for Evergreen Investment Management Co. LLC starting in December, when his fund becomes the Boston-based...

Service facilitates trading of restricted securities.(Product Watch)
November 14, 2005... Restricted Stock Partners in New York has officially launched the Restricted Securities Trading Network, a trading service that facilitates the buying and selling of restricted securities of public companies. The network, formed on a pilot...

In calamity, a buying opportunity.(Short Interests)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Barry B. Burr CHICAGO - In calamity there is opportunity, someone once said, and Kestrel Investment Management Corp. is looking to exploit the catastrophes of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in its small- and mid-cap-value equity...

Majority rule needed in voting for directors.(Other Views)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Kurt N. Schacht Our plurality voting structure for corporate directors is an anomaly in developed markets. Here, in the bastion of democracy, we are saddled with a corporate system that allows the election of an unopposed director...

Standardized hedge fund reporting urged.(Conference Call)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Sara Hansard WASHINGTON - Performance reporting for hedge funds needs to be standardized, according to several speakers at a recent seminar sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, a free-market...

Former rep wins $2.1 million from Lincoln; Arbitrators: Firm owes compensation for lost commissions.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Bruce Kelly NEW YORK - Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. owes a formerly affiliated registered representative $2.1 million for cutting him out of commissions for a program he created to sell financial planning products to banks and...

Coming soon: More Circular 230 amendments.(Tax Watch)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Mark E. Battersby The Internal Revenue Service reportedly is hoping to propose a new round of amendments to Circular 230 that would address covered opinions standards, contingent fees and disclosure rules. According to Stephen...

Dow Jones service supports customer contact; Article on wine tasting has huge impact at one firm.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Brooke Southall SAN FRANCISCO - Dow Jones & Co. Inc. is making a direct play for financial advisers who fancy themselves wealth managers. The New York-based business news giant in September launched Wealth Management Direct,...

Schwab courts advisers to very affluent; Seeks custody deals with heavy hitters.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Brooke Southall SAN FRANCISCO - Charles R. Schwab helped kick off a bid by his company to make customers of investment consultants who oversee hundreds of billions in assets parked at such firms as State Street Corp. of Boston and...

Global approach pays off for asset managers; Investing, selling of funds abroad help them make mark.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Liz Skinner WASHINGTON - Getting beyond U.S. borders has been the key to success for the best-performing publicly traded asset managers in recent months. While upbeat American equity markets during the third quarter also...

Closing Quote.(Quotes)
November 14, 2005... "Schwab's just going elephant hunting.'' James Ferrare of Pinnacle Associates Ltd. in New York on the San Francisco firm's bid to win the custody business of high-end consultants who use the likes of State Street and The Bank of New York...

The ABCs of protecting customer IDs.(Editorial)
November 14, 2005... The Securities and Exchange Commission's issuance of a guide that provides investors with suggestions to prevent identity theft is a timely warning to all financial planners, investment advisers, brokerage firms, and mutual fund and insurance...

Wirehouses' piece of fund pie shrinks as regulatory heat rises; Open-architecture platforms, subpar performance also pose challenges.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Dan Jamieson IRVINE, Calif. - Amid increased concern over inviting more scrutiny from regulators, in-house mutual funds run by big brokerage firms continue to lose stature in the fund industry. Assets in so-called proprietary...