PFP Briefs: 6/17/2002

Survey - Women More Active In Investment Decisions And Retirement Planning: Women today are more knowledgeable and confident about investing than ever, according to a recent survey conducted jointly by Money magazine and Oppenheimer Funds.

In comparison to 10 years ago, more women are involved in their families’ investment decision-making and retirement planning, according to the survey. In 2002, 63 percent of women participated in buying and selling stocks, bonds and mutual funds for their families, compared to 53 percent in 1992 and 61 percent in 1997.

Some 77 percent of survey participants considered themselves more knowledgeable about investing than they were five years ago, while 79 percent considered themselves more knowledgeable about investing than their parents were at their age.

The study found that 34 percent of the female investors surveyed had purchased stock on a tip from a friend, compared with 51 percent of male investors.

For more information on the go to  www.money.com or www.oppenheimerfunds.com.

Camico Appoints New Board Members: CAMICO, the nation’s largest CPA-owned mutual insurance company, has named two new directors to its 12-member board - Robert G. Nuber, CPA, CMC, of Bellevue, Wash., and John W. Meara, CPA, ABV, CFE, of Kansas City, Mo.

They succeed retiring members James R. Kurtz and William K. Scheuber.

Nuber is the chairman of Clark Nuber PS, a CPA and consulting firm headquartered in Bellevue. He currently serves as a member of CAMICO’s investment committee. Meara is managing partner of Kansas City-based Meara, King & Co., CPAs. He has served on CAMICO’s investment committee and will serve on the underwriting committee.

Assets In Managed Accounts Hits $413B: Assets held in separately managed accounts totaled $413.57 billion at the close of the first quarter of 2002 - an increase of 3.4 percent compared to the close of 2001 - according to figures released by the Money Management Institute.

The quarterly assets under management figures are based on program totals reported by wirehouses such as Merrill Lynch, Salomon Smith Barney, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Prudential and UBS Paine Webber.

The survey tracks the growth in assets specifically in managed account programs under the direction of financial advisors. The MMI figures are based on a survey of managed account sponsor firms.

Integrated Partners Provides Online Practice Profile Solution: Integrated Partners, an organization that assists CPA firms, banks and credit unions in offering financial planning solutions, has unveiled an online practice profile through its Web site, www.integrated-partners.com.

CPA firms can now evaluate their abilities and capacities to provide financial planning products and services to their clients by completing the diagnostic Practice Profile.

Successful CPA Financial Planners Share Five Essential Strategies: According to research conducted by CEG Worldwide, the highest earning CPA planners (defined as those who derive more than 40 percent of their revenue from providing investment products and or insurance products) focus on affluent private clients; use an advanced planning consulting process to differentiate themselves from the competition; manage their practices like businesses; partner with financial institutions; and make a lifelong commitment to learning, chief executive John Bowen told CPAs attending the American Institute of CPAs Advanced Investment Management Conference, during the keynote speech.

The report, titled "Your Roadmap to Incorporating Investment and Insurance Services Into Your CPA Practice," was based on a January 2002 survey of 1,685 partners from CPA firms.

Some 300 attendees and roughly 100 vendors and speakers attended this year’s confab, marking the meeting’s highest number of paid attendees, according to chairman Bart Francis.

"There's a significant change in the approach of this year’s conference," Francis said, referring to the fact that this year’s conference is focused on more advanced planning issues than in the past.

This year’s agenda included topics such as alternative investments, single stock risk management and hedge funds.

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