Independent registered investment advisors seem to be having a good post-recession period, but gains have come at a cost in terms of more work and less pay.

Advisors looking for cost-effective options for building diversified portfolios are continuing to turn to exchange-traded funds. And given their competitive strengths, it's no wonder ETF assets in the U.S. grew at nearly 40% compound annual growth rate from 1998 to 2009. ETF assets now total almost $1 trillion and represent 45% of total passive fund assets in the United States.

Brick Sturgeon remembers his "lightbulb moment." His clients were two middle-aged sisters who had inherited $500,000 from their father. Two years after his death, however, the money still sat in their father's accounts.

The Treasury Department made clear in a much-anticipated report that it prefers Congress take up reform of the government-sponsored enterprises, but it also recommended steps that federal agencies could take without legislation.

The industry has taken some steps to lower barriers to affordable housing, but some observers say that more can be done.

The Trump administration is not backing down even after a federal court blocked guidance that would have limited the operations of national housing funds.

A reasonable approach to comprehensive credit risk management can protect banks against the impact of a recession while ensuring the industry doesn't contribute to any potential economic volatility.

No one company can solve this credit scoring problem. Banks, fintechs and innovative startups must come together in partnership to share information and change the existing system.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's latest remarks reaffirming the government's willingness to shore up uninsured deposits at troubled banks seem to have calmed markets, but sooner or later regulators are going to have to articulate an official policy.