News

Charles Schwab's latest independent investment adviser survey found 56% of advisers classify themselves as “bulls,” while only 10% see themselves as “bears.” 

The third edition of the book 401(k) Sales Champion, A Guide For Financial Advisors To Acquire And Retain 401(k) Plans will be released July 1, 2011

Investment consultants, expecting lower capital market returns and more volatility, support broader asset diversification and custom target-date strategies for defined contribution plans.

Forward Management, LLC has announced an initiative to accelerate the firm’s development of alternative investment products in both mutual fund and private partnership form. 

GE Asset Management Incorporated (GEAM) has added two senior sales professionals to its intermediary business team.

Last week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued two reports focused on 401(k) plans. 

Dana Investment Advisors, Inc. announced that the Epiphany Large Cap Core Equity fund it sub-advises has been renamed the Dana Large Cap Core Fund (symbol EPCNX).

Fidelity Investments is making a tool available to advisers that helps them prospect more than 1.5 million retirement plans.

Symetra Life Insurance Company hired Wes Severin as sales leader for its western division, along with six new regional vice presidents.

Confidence in investment decisions among women is much lower than men and the gap is widening, a MassMutual poll of retirement plan participants found. 

MSCI Inc., a provider of investment decision support tools, hired Kurt Winkelmann as Managing Director and Head of Risk & Analytical Research.

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has named Catherine Smith, CEO of ING Retirement Services, as head of the state's Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).

Retirement plan solutions provider Ascensus has been selected by 3D Asset Management (3D), a registered investment advisory firm, to partner on its ETF AdvisorPlan product.

Janus Capital has appointed George Maris as portfolio manager for Janus Worldwide Fund and related strategies, effective March 14, 2011.

Scott T. Waite is the new regional sales director for the metro-Detroit and western Michigan market for Great-West Retirement Services.

The Principal Financial Group obtained an independent audit addressing its procedures for public and private employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) clients.

Gabriela Parcella is the new CEO of Mellon Capital Management Corporation, and Bart Grenier was appointed to chairman and CEO of The Boston Company Asset Management LLC (TBCAM).

More small-business owners feel offering health insurance is more important than offering a retirement plan, 59% to 47%, a Paychex survey found.

College savings plans have seen a 56% growth in assets over the past 24 months, according to industry data from Financial Research Corporation (FRC).

Stock and bond funds experienced net inflows of $42.5 billion in January, according to Financial Research Corporation (FRC) data.