John Morgan

Most 401(k) and other defined contribution plan administrators and sponsors like the automatic-enrollment feature in the retirement savings plans they manage because it gets more people saving earlier, but the fact that sign-up for these plans is automatic doesn't lessen the burden on the administrators who run them.

As exchange-traded funds continue to grow in scope and popularity, investment experts warn that some products, such as leveraged and inverse ETFs, may be too dangerous for all but the most experienced investors.

Despite their sinister-sounding name, dark pools of liquidity can be very beneficial to average investors by offering mutual funds and large institutional investors an efficient way to make large trades without impacting the market.

With the anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the rearview mirror and the economy improving, industry executives and analysts are questioning whether the wealth management industry still needs to undergo substantial regulatory change, and what changes, if any, could be beneficial.

Since their introduction in January, Putnam Investments' family of absolute-return mutual funds has attracted more than $400 million of new investment assets and, according to the Boston investment management company, is on track to top $1 billion by yearend.

Target-date funds continue to face heat from regulators and investors as the debate continues on the level of equity exposure retirees should maintain.