Wealth management

IMGCAP(1)]Credit scores have become a major factor for consumers and businesses that seek financing ranging from mortgages, car and student loans to business credit lines and bank loans.

The majority of baby boomers intend to have a more active lifestyle in retirement than their parents (86 percent), as well as a better standard of living (72 percent), according to Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch Affluent Insights Quarterly.

Broker-dealer H.D. Vest Investment Services has converted its brokerage clearing functions to First Clearing LLC from Wells Fargo Investments LLC.

2 OUT OF 5 AMERICANS FEEL LESS FINANCIALLY SECURE

When I think of resources for the financial planner, it makes me think of those that would create leverage, scale and profitability for a wealth-management business.

The recent extension of the estate tax at a 35 percent rate will not result in a "claw back" tax obligation for people who make gifts in 2011 and 2012 that exceed their post 2012 estate tax exemption allowance, according to a trio of tax experts.

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission delivered the results of its nearly two-year-long investigation into the causes of the financial and economic crisis on Thursday, but with dissenting views from some of the Republican members of the commission.

As the economy gradually recovers, some mature workers are feeling more comfortable about retiring now compared to last year at this time.

Emerging Information Systems Inc., developer of NaviPlan and Profiles financial planning software, has introduced a new Retirement Consumer Facing Application for Profiles Professional.

The American Institute of CPAs has named Irv Rothenberg, CPA/PFS, of Santa Rosa, Calif., as the recipient of its 2010 Personal Financial Planning Distinguished Service Award.

The regulatory structure applicable to financial planners covers the great majority of their services, but the attention paid to enforcing existing regulation can vary and certain consumer protection issues remain, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

A Washington think tank, the Center for Economic and Policy Research, has released a report recommending a tax on financial speculation as a way to help solve the federal government’s long-term budget deficits.

The economic crisis has brought personal finance front and center, for Americans as well as others throughout the world, the ING Retirement Institute Research Institute found.

The migration of foreign-based initial public offerings to U.S.-based stock exchanges is expected to increase in 2011, according to a new study by BDO USA LLP.

MarketRiders has released a 2010 Portfolio Report Card showing that stock and bond market portfolios returned between 4 to 16 percent.

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Charles Schwab Investment Management and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. on Tuesday with making misleading statements regarding the Schwab YieldPlus Fund and failing to establish, maintain and enforce policies and procedures to prevent the misuse of material, nonpublic information.

Three-quarters of millionaire retirees were highly satisfied in their retirement, but satisfaction didn't change much more as net worth rose beyond that, and half of those with less than $250,000 in net worth were highly satisfied in retirement, according to a new survey.

Investors will turn to less credible sources of information about stocks they hold when more credible sources provide unwelcome information, according to a new study.

A former principal in the accounting and wealth management firm Anchin, Block & Anchin has pleaded guilty to causing the Hillary Clinton for President Committee to unwittingly submit false statements to the Federal Election Commission involving tickets to an Elton John concert.

Okay, we'll admit it up front: We are inveterate wordsmiths who love using words to make our points. Over the previous 15 years that we've produced this column, we've even invented a few to describe some financial reporting issues, such as "pfooling of interests," "volatilaphobia" and, more recently, "duh-preciation."