Financial planning

A new report from Aite Group LLC identifies five types of advisors based on their focus on and adoption of financial planning.

The number of initial public offerings in the second quarter of this year was more than triple that of the same period last year, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Despite the market’s recent volatility, 79 percent of advised investors say that professional advice is worth more than it costs, according to a new survey.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has obtained an asset freeze against a Jacksonville, Fla.-based retirement benefits consulting firm that defrauded active and retired government employees and law enforcement agents nationwide through a Ponzi scheme that promised them safe investments.

IMGCAP(1)]Affluent families are not feeling so affluent these days. The financial crisis has left its mark and eroded a tremendous amount of confidence, as well as wealth.

The Securities and Exchange Commission voted unanimously to propose rule amendments to help clarify the meaning of a date in a target date fund’s name and enhance the information provided to investors in these funds as they invest for retirement.

Investors tend to pay heed to whistleblower reports of financial fraud despite company denials, a new study suggests.

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board has issued a document outlining its preliminary views on how to improve pension accounting and financial reporting by government employers.

AMERICANS WORRIED ABOUT RETIREMENT SAVINGS

The accounting profession, like so many others, has faced financial pressures since the end of 2008.

The Federal Reserve issued new rules to cut penalties and other fees charged by credit card companies.

Employers with at least 500 employees remain hesitant to adopt automatic enrollment features in their retirement savings plans and automatically enroll their employees, according to a new survey by AARP.

More than 7.3 million older Americans — one out of every five citizens over the age of 65 — already have been victimized by a financial swindle, according to a new survey.

RETIREMENT, MEDICAL BILLS TOP FINANCIAL WORRIES

This has not been the best of years for retirement planning software. First, in spite of an upward-trending market, retirement plans and portfolios have been badly battered. Second and worse, the whole class of software has come under attack for perceived inadequacies.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority are warning investors to beware of stock scams that promise easy profits from cleanup efforts related to the catastrophic BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

A new study from New York University finds that the stock market often harms investment incentives, especially for fast-growing companies.

COLLEGE-BOUND TEENS RECONSIDER PLANS

Many successful small and midsized businesses are discovering the benefits of captive insurance companies, and are pursuing the guidance of financial advisors with experience in this arena.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans say they are either a little or far behind financially in terms of preparing for retirement, according to a new survey.