Donna M. Mitchell

As the target-date fund industry works to raise its standing with investors, a recent Vanguard survey has found that much of the job may already be done.

As the target-date fund industry works to raise its standing with investors, a recent Vanguard survey finds that much of that work might already be done.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's arbitration panel raised its credibility in the securities industry when it imposed a hefty penalty on a unit of Ameriprise Financial Inc., Securities America, for its role in selling an elderly woman private placement notes from Medical Capital Holdings, industry professionals say.

Insurance companies often face an uphill battle to convince independent advisers that variable annuities have earned a place in clients' portfolios.

Ultrawealthy investors, with their $25 million apiece in household net worth, might be a tempting prize for advisers, but any professional money manager who wants them as clients must sharpen his or her knowledge about alternative investments, new research says.

Retail investors are on the hunt for fixed-income products with decent yields, but the bond market for individual investors is often opaque, making it hard for financial advisers to get a keen sense of what these investors are thinking.

After the shocks and bumps of the Great Recession, younger baby boomers are already thinking about retirement and are clear on one thing: When it comes to retirement income, they want guarantees, according to a study.

Expert investors and analysts have been saying it for years: economies in the emerging markets have become so sophisticated that the so-called frontier markets are becoming the place to find richer yields.

Brian Davis, the new director of adviser services for Scottrade Advisor Services, will not be making any drastic changes to the asset custodian business that the St. Louis discount retail brokerage launched five years ago.

Global bond and equity investors are no longer relying on the United States to power world economic growth, said presenters at a Natixis Global Asset Management press luncheon.

Advisers who want to forge a tighter bond with affluent black American clients — or potential ones — should understand cultural differences, say officials at Northern Trust, which recently released its second biannual survey on the issue.

Hedge funds turned in better performance numbers for August than the major equity indexes did, and it's because they made the most of a general sell-off of risky assets on the broader equity and bond markets, according to a preliminary roundup by Morningstar.

The annuity industry, with its battered reputation, seemed to have found a powerful ally in President Obama's administration, when the Middle Class Task Force issued a report in January saying the executive branch would work to promote the availability of annuities and other forms of guaranteed income.

A wealth management firm has identified a growing niche serving clients in the U.S. and north of the border.

Industry participants say brokers have made a lot of progress toward meeting new cost-basis reporting requirements from the Internal Revenue Service, which take effect in January.

Advisers are turning to annuities, using tactical asset allocation and continuing to move to fee-based business models, as they cope with the effects that the sluggish economic climate is having on their practices, according to findings from the latest Financial Professional Outlook from Russell Investments.

The asset management industry felt the ground shift under its feet during the recent financial crisis, but signs of resiliency persist, according to a new benchmarking study by the McKinsey & Co. consulting firm.

Atlantic Trust, a private wealth management firm in Atlanta, has appointed Logan Allin to the newly created post of head of strategy and client experience.

Exchange-traded fund investors shook off the summer slump and put their money back to work in July, reportedly finding investment opportunities overseas and in favored funds with large-cap investment styles.

Weiss Group, of Jupiter, Fla., has three operations, including Weiss Capital Management, a fee-based registered investment advisory firm that oversees $350 million of discretionary and nondiscretionary assets for individuals, businesses, trusts and charities.