Wealth management

The oft-used warning about investments is also used for tax shelters: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

The online investment site Betterment announced that since its founding in May 2010 it has attracted more than $10 million under management and more than 4,000 users.

Lavish trips to award top-performing financial advisers all but disappeared with the financial crisis. Now big brokerages are remaking them in a way that's unlikely to rile Main Street.

While many parts of the mutual fund industry seem to have recovered, closed-end funds still face troubles that range from increased competition to the lingering effects of the 2008 crisis.

Carlyle Group is set to raise $950 million for investments in South America as the U.S. buyout firm assembles its first private-equity fund dedicated to the region, a person with direct knowledge of the plan said.

Workers would be limited in tapping 401(k) retirement plans for loans under legislation two senators plan to introduce that is designed to counter the erosion of retirement assets.

Mass affluent investors, those with $100,000 to $1 million of investable assets, are pessimistic about investing, a survey of 596 individual investors and 610 financial advisers by MFS Investment Management found.

IMGCAP(1)]

Younger planners have a lot to offer, but can face numerous hurdles to success, said Joseph D. Pitzl, director of financial planning at Intelligent Financial Strategies.

When it comes to tracking the master limited partnership market, investors need to pay attention to which benchmark they pick.

While clients often look to set a fixed rate of spending over retirement, some advisers say it's more realistic to expect it to rise and fall over those leisure years.

At time when more Americans than ever are petrified they won't have enough set aside for retirement, a Limra International Inc. survey suggests that peace of mind could be just a phone call away.

Most good advisers are used to playing psychologist — helping clients understand and overcome irrational impulses in order to make sound investment choices.

Wall Street conventional wisdom holds that a sterling reputation is crucial to winning business and keeping clients. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. may be the exception, according to a new Bloomberg survey.

IMGCAP(1)]

IMGCAP(1)]

More and more pension plans are exiting their domestic equity commitments in favor of long-duration bond vehicles to back up their liability needs, plan sponsors said in a new study.

Investors stuck with their retirement savings plans in 2010, according to the Investment Company Institute, basing its findings on data from more than 23 million defined contribution accounts.

SunTrust Banks Inc. on Wednesday announced that it bought a San Francisco wealth manager that focuses on clients including professional athletes.

Retail investors have access to a lot of information about the municipal bond market. Maybe too much information?