Compensation and Fees
What leading financial advisors, experts and firms are saying about compensation and fees for registered representatives (both independent and employee) and registered investment advisors.
Caveat Emptor for 401(k) Plan Sponsors
By Mark D. Mensack AIFAMost plan sponsors are unaware of their fiduciary duty and can be liable for fines and penalties as the DOL steps up enforcement.
April 15, 2011
2011 Q1 Earnings: Bank of America EPS Disappoints; Merrill Profits Up 68.6%Bank of America reported disappointing Q1 2011 earnings, but the GWIM unit saw one of its strongest quarters since the acquisition of Merrill Lynch.
April 05, 2011
Nuns Want Goldman to ‘Fess UpFour orders of nuns are hoping that “Seek and ye shall find” will work in their quest for information from Goldman Sachs. The orders, shareholders in the company, have submitted a shareholder resolution that seeks information on remuneration policies at the firm in the wake of a revelation of pay...
April 04, 2011
What Changes in the VA Market Mean for AdvisorsMy survey in this issue of the current variable annuity marketplace comes with several important take-aways. Producers would do well to take note.
April 03, 2011
What Changes in the VA Market Mean for AdvisorsMy survey in this issue of the current variable annuity marketplace comes with several important take-aways. Producers would do well to take note.
April 01, 2011
Fannie, Freddie Executive Pay Criticized by Federal Housing Finance Agency ReportThe inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency released a report on Wednesday criticizing federal regulators’ oversight of top executives’ pay at the beleaguered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
March 30, 2011
Federal Agencies Post Comp Rule DraftFederal financial services regulators have proposed rules that are supposed to keep "covered financial institutions" from adopting compensation systems that encourage executives, employees, directors and principal shareholders from taking excessive risk.
March 24, 2011
Scope Creep: Keeping Successful Advisory Firms From Becoming DysfunctionalScope creep's solution? Re-evaluate all the job functions that are being performed within a firm, and reallocate them in the most sensible and fair way.