Financial planning

As sales of exchange-traded funds boom, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy has released an investor bulletin on the investment vehicle that highlights the view that not all ETFs are created equal.

Genworth Financial Trust Company announced a new program to help independent financial advisors find the trust companies best suited to working with them.

The estimated 72 million 401(k) participants have something to look forward to at the end of this month: On August 30, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration participant fee disclosure rule, dubbed ERISA 404(a)(5), will go into effect.

About 35 percent of women report using a financial advisor and another 35 percent who don't use an advisor would consider doing so, according to a new survey from Prudential Financial.

Information technology spending by the global wealth management industry will reach almost $35 billion by 2016, and will include heavy investment in digital channels, predicts global analyst provider Ovum.

More than a third of retirement plan participants admitted that they either “guessed” or “made up” their estimates for how much income they would need in retirement, according to a new survey, while only 30 percent said they consulted with a professional for help in setting their goals.

Swiss banks must lure affluent clients from emerging markets or face a “slow death” as the pursuit of tax dodgers by U.S. and European authorities results in outflows of assets.

A proposal by the Obama Administration regarding grantor trusts has estate planners on edge as they ponder its implications.

Top stories from the past month in financial planning

Don't be afraid to serve the very, very rich

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. has approved the organization's first-ever Sanction Guidelines, which will be used by the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission and staff when determining sanctions for particular CFP Board violations.

Families who have prepared a personal financial plan report more success managing their money, savings and investments than those who have not, according to a new survey.

Many CPAs are passive in nature and afraid to ask clients to pay them extra for financial advice. Yet, often they are better positioned even than planners to suggest tax-efficient investment strategies.

Approximately 86 percent of millionaires in the U.S. believe themselves to be self-made, according to a new survey by Fidelity Investments.

The recent IPO by Facebook founders led to their creation of grantor trusts to avoid paying taxes of at least $200 million. It underlined new uses of a technique that has been around for a long time. Grantor trusts, including defective trusts, are still the hot new thing.

A pair of experts from accounting firm Rothstein Kass have helped write a new book that offers an introductory guide to the capital markets.

Capital markets executives at leading investment banks have conflicting views on the recently enacted JOBS Act, according to a new study by accounting and consulting firm BDO USA LLP.

Retiring Baby Boomers are driving development of new financial products

Before saying, “I do,” 78 percent of couples have discussed their personal finances, according to a new survey.

Seventy-seven percent of private equity firm predict there will be more attractive investment opportunities in 2012 than in 2011, according to a new survey by Rothstein Kass.