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Opinion

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Advisers must face the facts of life

We live in an age when everything is the “new” something. Not only has brown been declared the…

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Funds still too eager to appease management

Mutual fund companies seem to be willing to challenge corporate management on some governance issues, but there still is a way to go before they will be seen as pulling their weight.

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Delay on broker-dealer rule is warranted

The Securities and Exchange Commission has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit…

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Time is right to recast 12(b)-1 fees

Nobody ever said the folks at the Securities and Exchange Commission had an easy job, and the degree…

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Qualified-default-investment alternatives and you

First of two parts The 2006 Pension Protection Act and subsequent Department of Labor guidance provide for…

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It is time for clarity in 401(k) fees

The law doesn’t require 401(k) plans to disclose their fees to investors in any comprehensive way. Is…

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Pension system proposal is worth a look

Millions of American workers remain without an employer- sponsored retirement savings plan. In fact, some 40%…

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Time is right for a shortened prospectus

Sometimes less is more, and that may be the case with mutual fund prospectuses. Almost no one…

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Advisers wise to prepare succession plans

Financial advisory professionals should practice what they preach. They spend the majority of their time working with…

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Plan sponsor’s fail-safe: Using RIA as a co-fiduciary

Many Employee Retirement Income Security Act fiduciaries, including plan sponsors, trustees and members of investment committees, are unaware of their significant responsibilities relating to the prudent selection and monitoring of plan asset investments, and the proper operation of their qualified plans.

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You can’t afford to turn a blind eye to client/fiduciary

No matter how you are registered and regulated, you can’t afford to turn a blind eye to the breaches of your clients who are fiduciaries — investment committees of retirement plans, foundations and endowments, and trustees of personal trusts.

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IRA charitable contributions a one-time tax break

If your client is charitably inclined and has an individual retirement account that is subject to required minimum distributions (over age 70½), it pays to make a direct transfer to the charity from the IRA, rather than using other funds for their donations. There is no charitable deduction permitted, but the distribution isn’t included in income.

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Flying high with derivatives can be risky

Derivatives are like aircraft: In the right hands, they are wonderful vehicles, but in the wrong hands, or…

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‘Never mind’ the SEC’s regulatory mess

Like Emily Litella, the old “Saturday Night Live” character, at the end of one of her confused ramblings,…

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LTC industry needs to be investigated

According to the American Council of Life Insurers in Washington, a one-year stay in a nursing home costs…

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The Big Four of certification and assessment

Courts and regulators will evaluate your effectiveness as an investment adviser against a process standard — as opposed to a performance standard.

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Reporter’s ethical lapse sullies journalism

Week in and week out, InvestmentNews uses this space and the Monday Morning column to challenge financial services…

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Ruling’s right, though both sides have a point

This publication always has thought that what is best for the investor is, in the long run, best…

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Ruling acknowledges emergence of an industry

As reported here last week, a federal appeals court has struck down the Securities and Exchange Commission’s broker-dealer exemption, stating that the commission lacks the authority to grant brokers broad exceptions to rules that apply to investment advisers.

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SEC chief missed the boat at budget hearing

SEC Chairman Christopher Cox needs to remember the old saying, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” The…