Donna M. Mitchell

The year could be marked by volatility, induced in part by rising interest rates, but prime money market funds could still see a 0.08% rise in assets.

McLaughlin pledged to improve diversity within the capital markets division she runs and across PNC Financial Services Group more widely.

Leading retirement plan advisers exhibit several key differences in the way they approach their practice. Successful advisers have more efficient practices, they keep up to speed on products and trends, are better positioned to withstand uncertain markets, and are better prepared to handle specific economic challenges like low interest rates, according to Cara Farchione, manager of retirement solutions for Raymond James.

The Hartford announced Wednesday that it will stop its individual annuity business and is pursuing “sales or other strategic alternatives” for its individual life, Woodbury Financial Services and retirement plans.

Ten days in the investment markets can have an enormous impact on any client’s portfolio. But because it is nearly impossible to predict which ones will be the best, investors should stay in the market and remain diversified, David Gluch, CFA, a director of U.S. product management for Invesco, said during a presentation at the IMCA 2012 New York Consultants Conference.

Social media compliance is a subject that elicits a range of reactions from planners, from groans to cautious, curious questions. But Leia Farmer, the deputy chief compliance officer at Securities America, is excited about it.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has closed a loophole that previously allowed individuals to artificially inflate net worth before investing in unregistered securities offerings. Advisors are generally supportive of the change.

Chase Investment Services Corp., a division of JPMorgan Chase, will have to reimburse brokerage customers $1.9 million over the sale of unit investment trusts and floating rate loan funds not deemed suitable for them, FINRA announced on Tuesday.

Opportunities are certain to be abundant for Sallie Krawcheck, the former president of global wealth and investment management at Bank of America Merrill Lynch who was shown the door in a management shake-up last week.

In agreeing to buy Securities America, Ladenburg Thalmann is hoping to leverage the target's large national network of advisors — 1,700 who manage about $50 billion of client assets — to help it sell its own products.

American workers lapsed into investing inertia after the market collapsed in 2008, but standing still actually benefited many and helped their workplace retirement plan balances rebound by 31% between 2007 and 2010, Vanguard said last week.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is betting that enhancements to its variable annuity suite will put it ahead of competitors in the race to offer investors secure retirement income options.

LPL Investment Holdings posted strong first-quarter earnings, as a larger fleet of advisers got investors back into investing.

Certified financial planners are uniquely qualified to help Americans keep their finances in good stead, the CFP Board of Standards said. The group has just rolled out a glossy $36 million advertising campaign to make them aware of that.

Financial advisers have known for some time that Americans have lost confidence in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement, but for confidence to plunge just as economic indicators were perking up?

DC plan consultants expect that future markets will be as volatile as they have been in the recent past, and offer lower returns. That’s why they view asset diversification and custom target-date strategies as key elements to successful defined contribution schemes for retirement income planning, according to plan consultants that the Pacific Investment Management Co. surveyed last December and January.

Technology is changing some of the tenets of client recruitment in the wealth management industry, even when the targets are high-net-worth prospects with complex financial lives.

Commonwealth Financial Network, which boasts one of the largest fleets of high-end independent advisers, is instituting new rewards for enriching the firm.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is testing Apple's iPad with its annuities sales force.

Days after the Securities and Exchange Commission recommended that all financial advisers practice within the fiduciary standard of care, BlackRock announced Jan. 24 that it has hired an executive for that role.