Categories: Financial Advisers

How Fast Should Financial Advisers Return Phone Calls?

Posted by: Lauren Young on July 27

The simple act of returning phone calls promptly is the most important action a financial adviser can take, according to a survey from Spectrem Group. When asked about an acceptable...

Should Financial Advisers Be Fiduciaries?

Posted by: Lauren Young on July 09

The already-hot debate about the fiduciary responsibility of financial advisers is scorching. Registered investment advisers, who are regulated by the Securities & Exchange Commission as well as individual states, are...

How to Invest for 'Flation

Posted by: Lauren Young on April 27

Which way is the economy heading next? Is it inflation, deflation, and stagflation? Overwhelmingly, most of the 50 advisers and analysts I interviewed for a story about 'flation in the...

Financial Advisers: Who Can You Trust?

Posted by: Lauren Young on February 27

If you haven't done so already, check out BusinessWeek's special report on financial advisers. In it, we highlight 50 of the most trusted and experienced financial advisers based on research...

How Valuable is a Financial Adviser?

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 22

For the past few weeks, BusinessWeek has been asking readers to talk to us about financial advisers. So far, we have heard from plenty of "do-it-yourselfers" on why they don't...

Do You Like--or Hate--Your Financial Adviser? Tell Us Why

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 08

More investors switch financial advisers in down markets than up markets. How do you feel about your financial adviser these days? If your adviser is in the doghouse, he or...

Where to Invest in 2009: Stocks and Bonds

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 30

Here's the next installment of investment tips for 2009 from Chris Dardaman, who has a plethora of certifications including CPA, CFP, CIMA, and PFS. He is the CEO of Brightworth...

Young or Old? A 2009 Asset Allocation Game Plan

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 29

Whether you are young or old, you need an asset allocation game plan for 2009. Here's the next installment of age-based investment tips for 2009 from Bob Mecca, an independent...

Age-Based Advice: Debunking the Equity Myth for Young Investors

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 20

This installment of age-based advice from a financial adviser comes from Laura Mattia, who is a wealth management principal at Baron Financial Group I'm highlighting her 2009 recommendation for investors...

Where to Invest if You Are Ages 55 to 75

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 20

Here's the next installment of age-based investment tips for 2009 focusing on investors ages 55 to 75 from Ross Marino, CFP and branch manager at Raymond James Financial Services in...

Get it, Keep it, Use it: How to Invest at Every Age

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 19

In our recent Investment Outlook issue, I did a short story on age-based investment tips for 2009 focusing on investors 25 to 35; 35 to 55; and 55 to 75....

Where to Invest in 2009: Age-Based Advice

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 18

In our recent Investment Outlook issue, I did a short story on age-based investment tips for 2009 focusing on investors 25 to 35; 35 to 55; and 55 to 75....

Confessions of a financial adviser

Posted by: Lauren Young on October 14

I got this email from a financial adviser today. Friday was the darkest day of my professional career. It was a helpless feeling watching the market drop 7 straight trading...

Mailbag: Is my brokerage firm obligated to disclose its financial health?

Posted by: Lauren Young on April 11

Here's another question I received from a reader: Is there any obligation for brokerage houses to disclose to clients the financial situation of the firm? Is there any agency that...

What to buy on a rollercoaster ride?

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 22

Forget recession or slowdown. You heard it here first: This is "a motion sickness market." (At least I think I just coined that phrase.) Anyway, while your first urge may...

More Smart Moves for Investors

Posted by: Lauren Young on August 03

I spent a lot of time on the phone this week talking to advisers and strategists about smart moves for investors, given the recent volatility. Some of my reporting ended...

Making Sense of the Merrill Rule

Posted by: Lauren Young on April 12

Last week many of the independent financial advisers I speak to were jumping for joy at a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit....

Court invalidates SEC's less-than-clear adviser rules

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on April 02

A little noticed D.C. Court of Appeals ruling at the end of last week struck an important blow for ordinary investors. The court threw out the Securities and Exchange Commission's...

Alphabet Soup

Posted by: Lauren Young on February 05

If you've ever looked at the business card of a financial adviser, it might be hard to deciper the alphabet soup of acronyms that follow their name. Some of the...

Advice for finding an adviser

Posted by: Lauren Young on February 02

Peggy S. Cabaniss, the new president of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, came to visit me this week. I'm a big fan of NAPFA advisers (our style here...