Deals & People June 15, 2009

Planning Alternatives, Oakland Wealth Management Merge

Two Oakland County-based, independent investment advisory firms have combined operations, creating what the firms say will be a 'leading investment advisory firm' in Southeastern Michigan, according to a joint announcement.
Reported by

Planning Alternatives, Ltd., of Bloomfield Hills, and Oakland Wealth Management of Southfield will continue under the established name of Planning Alternatives, Ltd.

Nathan Mersereau, founder of Oakland Wealth Management, will assume the position of managing partner at the new entity. Planning Alternatives’ principals Edwin Shaw and William Vanover will continue to serve as founding partners.

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The expanded Planning Alternatives now has approximately $375 million under advisement and provides strategic consulting services to clients in 26 states, the announcement said.

Shaw and Vanover began Planning Alternatives in 1982; Mersereau formed Oakland Wealth Management in 2004 after 10 years in the financial consulting industry.

More information is available at www.planningalt.com.

Products June 15, 2009

FTSE Provides Clean Tech Indexes

FTSE Group, a global index provider, has launched capital investment tools to help investors identify and gain exposure to the environmental technology sector.
Reported by

According to a press release, the new tools include what FTSE says is the world’s first global environmental markets industry classification system, designed to allow companies to be classified by sector and sub-sector according to the environmental products and services they provide.

“The introduction of the classification system allows those companies who provide essential environmental products, activities and services, to be identified more easily, facilitating a peer to peer comparison on a global, regional and pan-regional basis,” the press release said.

The system also provides a basis for the creation of sector-based investment products such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, and derivatives products.

Seven new equity indices which use the new environmental markets classification have also been added to the FTSE Environmental Opportunities Index Series:

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  • FTSE Environmental Opportunities US Index
  • FTSE Environmental Opportunities UK Index
  • FTSE Environmental Opportunities UK AIM Index
  • FTSE Environmental Opportunities Japan Index
  • FTSE Environmental Opportunities Europe Index
  • FTSE Environmental Opportunities Asia Pacific Index
  • FTSE Environmental Opportunities Asia Pacific ex Japan Index

FTSE said its new tools aim to support global capital markets’ response to developing a low carbon economy.

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