At an advisor conference this fall, one industry expert predicted that two out of three advisors will exit the DC market. Is he right?Like with many statistics, the answer is, “It depends.” Taking a... Read More
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Practice Management
BY Fred Barstein | 12/12/2016
Remember the “good old days” when all that advisors had to worry about was getting new clients and selecting the best investments? Not any more. According to a recently released SEI survey of... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 12/5/2016
Alpha Pension Group, a fiduciary advisor to ERISA retirement plans based in Lexington, Mass., has joined Global Retirement Partners (GRP).Alpha services more than 350 retirement plan clients... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 11/17/2016
Though the DOL rule has the attention of many DC plan sponsors, it does not change their fiduciary status or how they run their plans — except when it comes to vendors who will have to act as... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 10/25/2016
The past 12 to 18 months have seen a burst of retirement plan litigation — from church plans, to financial institution plans, to stable value funds and more. Advisors have not usually been part of... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 10/10/2016
Change is coming as a result of the DOL fiduciary regulation, with many broker-dealers expecting some of their advisors to retire while others think smaller BDs may not even be able to survive due to... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 9/27/2016
David Levine, a principal with the Groom Law Group, Chartered, suggests six steps advisors should take now to start preparing for the final fiduciary rule.1. Take time to breathe.It will take time to... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 9/12/2016
The profession of a DC plan advisor is evolving quickly as attention and concern about 401(k) and 403(b) plans grows. These days there are a lot of constituents involved including employers,... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 8/18/2016
GRP Advisor Alliance has announced a strategic partnership with Alliance Benefit Group, a national network of independently owned advisory and consulting firms.A press release notes that, with shared... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 8/4/2016
At a 2003 wirehouse event for their plan advisor specialists, I was asked on stage which record keeper would be the next to exit the market. Those were days when 10-15 providers exited each year,... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 7/27/2016
There’s nothing inherently wrong with revenue sharing in DC plans. In fact, revenue sharing has been critical in making DC plans popular, especially for smaller companies that could not or did not... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 7/18/2016
From a legal perspective, what is likely to be coming down the pike for plan advisors? David N. Levine, a principal with the Groom Law Group, Chartered, in Washington, D.C., sees four business trends... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 7/18/2016
Plan sponsor satisfaction with their retirement plan providers seems to be on the rise – and with justification, according to a new analysis.The report, by Chatham Partners, says that their analysis... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 7/11/2016
For plan advisors, now is an especially good time to talk about trust, industry thought leader Don Trone believes. “For the past year, the integrity of the retirement industry has been slurred,”... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 7/7/2016
A new report says that an increase in expected advisor retirements, the growing consumer preference for robo-advisor models and the more favorable fee structure of independent advisory shops are... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 7/6/2016
Is referring or recommending an advisor a fiduciary act under the new rule?Referral fees are commonplace, with centers of influence (COIs) the most valuable source of new business for advisors —... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 6/22/2016
In terms of market share, robo-advice is currently very much in its infancy, with approximately $10 billion in assets at the end of 2015 spread out over 13 key players, according to Aite Group. This... Read More
BY Nevin E. Adams, JD | 6/14/2016
I’ve long enjoyed John Oliver’s take on the world. He has a gift for bringing humor to subjects that aren’t generally seen as funny, and in the process not only helps make complex topics more... Read More
BY Nevin E. Adams, JD | 6/7/2016
What’s a broker-dealer’s liability when an advisor does something that has been specifically prohibited by the B/D, but does so away from the firm for individuals who never became customers of the... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 6/2/2016
The pace of RIA merger and acquisitions dipped a bit from Q1 2015’s record pace, but large RIAs sold in “record numbers,” according to a new report.There were 33 transactions in the first quarter of... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 5/27/2016
With the advent of most companies that offer a DC plan using an advisor, the dirty secret is that many providers that currently sell mostly through advisors have “orphaned” cases. So what happens to... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 5/17/2016
While practice management and “teaming” have always been important components of advisor support, a new report suggests they will be even more important in the years to come.According to The Cerulli... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 5/17/2016
At a recent TRAU Practice Management Institute (TPMI) program with 25 advisors right after the DOL’s final conflict-of-interest rule was released, the last session was dedicated to sharing what... Read More
BY John Iekel | 5/5/2016
Has the future of robo-advisors arrived?Not just yet, according to Howard Schneider, president of the consulting and research firm Practical Perspectives, and Conor McGuinness, director of policy and... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 5/4/2016
The new DOL fiduciary rule is the government’s acknowledgement of the growing use and importance of plan advisors. Though the DC industry has come to accept that the use of advisors in DC plans... Read More
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