“It’s all about communication.” That sums up the core message that Chatham Partners Managing Director Joshua Dietch and UBS Financial Services Senior Vice President for Wealth Management Harris... Read More
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Practice Management
BY Fred Barstein | 4/15/2016
Though advisors and providers are more concerned about the effects that the new DOL fiduciary rule will have on their businesses than DC plan sponsors are, employers are paying attention — a fact... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 4/13/2016
It seems that every couple of months there’s a new “big name” settlement involving a retirement plan class action lawsuit. These settlements often involve eye-popping numbers — $10 million, $30... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 4/7/2016
The rash of 401(k) lawsuits only promises to heat up, and not just because of recent settlements that have attracted plaintiffs' attorneys to the industry. The just-finalized DOL rule could open up a... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/30/2016
“We work in an industry that is fueled by fear, greed and ego,” says industry insider Don Trone. That is essentially why the Department of Labor is promulgating a fiduciary rule aimed at “controlling... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/18/2016
Most advisors are concerned that the Labor Department’s fiduciary proposal will have a negative impact on how they do business, according to a new survey.The survey of 485 advisors by Fidelity... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 3/18/2016
In the beginning of the latest Batman movie, Catwoman warns Bruce Wayne, “There’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/15/2016
Today Cetera Financial Group announced completion and rollout of the core of a new retirement plan solutions platform for financial advisors.Brett Harrison, Executive Vice President for Advisor... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/4/2016
How do broker-dealers establish and apply their cultural values? And do they guide those firms’ business conduct? The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is conducting an inquiry to find... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/2/2016
A new study notes that roughly 7% of advisers have misconduct records — and that prior offenders are five times as likely to engage in new misconduct as the average financial adviser.Not that there... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/29/2016
Employees in the financial services industry generally meet the duties requirements for the administrative exemption to overtime laws. However, an employee whose primary duty is selling financial... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/29/2016
Employees in the financial services industry generally meet the duties requirements for the administrative exemption to overtime laws. However, an employee whose primary duty is selling financial... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/26/2016
Add to the list of plan fiduciary concerns, cyber-related threats to plan assets and participant personal information.These days much of that information lies in the hands (or, more accurately, the... Read More
BY Nevin E. Adams, JD | 2/23/2016
While plausible arguments can be made for including a higher-cost share class on a 401(k) menu, for eschewing CITs and separately managed accounts in favor of mutual funds, and even for going with a... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 2/17/2016
There’s no doubt that the down market is hurting the entire financial services sector. But it seems that the independent BD industry is under particular duress — which, according to industry guru... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/3/2016
New research offers insights into the criteria that drive RIA firm valuation — and ways to maximize that valuation.The report, from Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions, found that only 38% of... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 2/1/2016
Should all DC plans of a certain size go through an advisor RFP process periodically? Or can they just rely on benchmarking using industry averages or databases?Ask most advisors and the answer might... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 1/29/2016
We tend to assume that HR professionals inherently care about their DC plan — but is that really true?At the Mile High SHRM 2016 conference I recently attended, I spoke at a breakout session about... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 1/25/2016
Change is inevitable and even if you’re doing well, no doubt there are opportunities missed if you are not trying new things. So to grow and even keep up as a plan advisor in an increasingly... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 1/20/2016
A new report cites estimates that there will be a gap of 10,000 advisors by 2020, and offers suggestions on how to close that gap.In what it described as a “first-of-its-kind” study, Fidelity spoke... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 1/5/2016
Broker-dealer network Cetera will continue operations as an independent broker-dealer, while current parent RCS Capital Corp will enter Chapter 11 by the end of the month.In a Jan. 4 press release,... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 12/30/2015
Independent broker-dealers could look back at 2015 as a pivotal year when a model that once looked like the best of all worlds turned into something else. And with the DOL set to cause more havoc,... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 12/29/2015
Is the robo advisor market maturing? With another $16 million raised by NextCapital, which now has raised $300 million, it might be a sign of smart money picking the winners. So why could the latest... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 12/21/2015
The year ahead is fraught with danger and opportunities for DC plan advisors. Here are the three trends I would be watching if I were a DC plan advisor.DOL RuleAs expected, it looks like the DOL’s... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 12/21/2015
A new study finds that more than one in three RIA firm owners (37%) are planning to exit the business within the next decade, up from 30% in 2014.While the survey by Fidelity Clearing & Custody... Read More
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