Paul Menchaca

In an August 2009 meeting, Larry Roth, the chief executive of Advisor Group, was blunt about how much the massive taxpayer bailout had damaged the American International Group name.

In 2006, Robert Isbitts, the chief investment officer of Emerald Asset Advisors in Weston, Fla., self-published his first book, "Wall Street's Bull and How to Bear It."

Chris Leavy, the former chief investment officer of equities at OppenheimerFunds, has been hired as CIO of U.S. fundamental equity at BlackRock Inc., a newly created position.

Although the industry often tends to gauge the success of a firm's technology platform by how much money is spent on it, a study from Charles Schwab Advisor Services finds that independent registered investment advisers who actively manage their tech services generate more income, while also spending considerably less money on it.

Still reeling from the economic turmoil of the past three years, many pre-retirees are pessimistic about their financial future, including when they will be able to retire.

Adviser confidence in the economy and stock market rose to its highest level in six months in September, according to the Advisor Confidence Index from Rydex/SGI. The measure had fallen to its lowest level in 16 months in August.

Fidelity Investments has expanded independent advisers' access to third-party providers within its WealthCentral custodial platform by integrating a portfolio management solution from Black Diamond Performance Reporting.

Driven by the emerging markets of Asia, the global retirement market is slated to expand to $46 trillion from $28 trillion by 2020, according to a report by Allianz.

Adviser confidence in the economy and stock market sunk in August to its lowest level in 16 months, according to the Advisor Confidence Index from Rydex/SGI.

A bill before Congress that would increase worker retirement savings would be a burden to small employers, according to a report from Aite Group.

Although it supports the Securities and Exchange Commission's goal of bringing more disclosure to target-date funds, BlackRock has told the agency that the proposal to include asset-allocation.

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards says it hopes to bridge the gap between advisers and people in their 20s, who are generally considered atypical financial planning clients.

The majority of 401(k) participants exhibited steady savings behavior in the second quarter, but the number of loans and hardship withdrawals increased, according to data from Fidelity Investments.

Baby boomers will make sacrifices now if that's what it will take to live well in retirement, a survey found.

Forty merger and acquisition deals were completed by registered investment advisory firms in the first half of the year, the best first half ever in terms of deal volume, according to data from the Schwab Advisor Services unit of Charles Schwab Corp.

Putnam Investments has started an enhanced website for sponsors of 401(k) plans and other defined contribution retirement programs.

An "empowered investor base" insisting on more transparency and liquidity from managers as well as on absolute returns and uncorrelated investment strategies has led to a spike in demand for alternative mutual funds, a report concluded.

In retirement, employees will need 15.7 times their final pay when factoring in inflation and postretirement medical costs, according to a study by Hewitt Associates.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's civil lawsuit accusing Goldman Sachs Group Inc. of securities fraud could strengthen the argument to establish a universal fiduciary standard, according to legal experts.

The stock market's steep decline in 2008, combined with one of the worst recessions in decades, resulted in fewer mergers and acquisitions among registered investment advisory firms last year, according to the latest data from Charles Schwab Corp.