Investment Advisor March 2012
Cover Story
Dividends, Dividends, Dividends!
Everyone’s saying it, but when it comes to retirement income, Northstar’s Fred Taylor lives it.
Features
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Under Pressure
The anemic economic recovery has been in the forefront of the news for several years now.
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5 Simple Steps for Fund Success
Four CFAs plus a five-step due diligence process equals solid performance for the money managers at TAMRO Capital Partners and their Aston/TAMRO Diversified Equity Fund (ATLVX)
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Seven Steps to Increase Referrals
Referrals fuel the financial services industry, and without them your client base could plateau and eventually dwindle.
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A Sterling Reputation
The boys at Sterling Global Strategies started their independent firm in late 2008; yes, 2008.
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The Gender Trap
The World Economic Forum’s recent Global Gender Gap Report notes that 85% of the 135 countries surveyed in 2011, Saudi Arabia included, have “made progress in the past year toward gender equality.”
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Finding Balance in Your Busy Life
Wellness and work-life balance are becoming more and more important for financial advisors.
Beginnings
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The Breakfast Club
The orgy of pessimism from keynote speakers at TD Ameritrade’s recent conference in Orlando had organizers double-stocking the hotel minibars.
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DOL Releases Long-Awaited 401(k) Fee Disclosure Rule
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released in early February its long-awaited final rule on 401(k) fee disclosures, rule 408(b)(2), and in doing so extended the compliance date to July 1.
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OppenheimerFunds’ George Evans on Slow Growth and Double-Blended Scotch
George Evans is an expert at finding growth in a slow growth world, and his skills are certainly being put to the test.
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Invest in ‘The Lucky Country’ via ETFs
Since the Great Recession started to take shape in 2008, one mega-theme has dominated financial markets around the world: the avoidance of risk at any cost.
Columns
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Turning Inside Out
Generally speaking, activities that are core to your brand and offering should be managed in house while those activities that are incidental or supplemental to your vision and strategy make good choices for outsourcing.
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Post-Election Estate Tax Fix?
Tax issues will figure prominently in the goings-on in Washington this presidential election year, with the consensus among tax specialists being that Congress is most likely to address the estate tax when it decides late this year whether to extend the Bush tax cuts.
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Everything Old is New Again
I recently received an email from an advisor who took issue with much of the premise behind my November 2011 Investment Advisor column: “Not Your Father’s Commodity Investments.”
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Sticks and Stones
I recently received a letter from a reader that raised a very important topic: verbal abuse in the workplace.
Sidebar Stories
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Advisors Weigh In on Presidential Race
A recent poll of individual advisor members of the Financial Services Institute (FSI) found that those representatives overwhelmingly believe former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will win the Republican presidential nomination, the Senate will shift to Republican control and that the economy will stay flat while taxes will go up.
Conclusions
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401(k)s to Overtake Pensions as Primary Retirement Vehicle in 2012
For the first time, in 2012, more people will be saving for retirement in 401(k)-type plans than in traditional pensions, and that means employees need better guidance from plan sponsors, State Street Global Advisors reported in late January.
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How Serious Are You About Securing Your Data?
Advisors today have access to more client data than ever before, but in this day and age, advisors can’t afford to get sloppy with security.
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Are You Fulfilling Your ‘Mandatory’ Training Requirement?
There is no specific regulatory requirement that says registered investment advisors must provide “mandatory” training to their employees.
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The Financial Advisor Balancing Act
American culture exalts accomplishment and makes it a focal point for self-worth.
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Going Small With Our Neighbor to the North
Maintaining diversification in an international portfolio has not been an easy job over the last few years.
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How to Avoid Investors’ Most Taxing Problem
You can have great returns on your investments, but if Uncle Sam is taking a lot of those gains through taxes, you ultimately end up with below-average returns.
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How Green Was My Policy
As the headlines over extreme weather conditions and the cost of natural disasters swell, some insurance companies are rising to the challenge.
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Greater Female Representation Pays Off for the Financial Services Industry
We’re in a relationship business and women are good at relationships; so it should come as no surprise that, when given the opportunity, women succeed at all levels of the financial services industry.
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The Client. The Client. The Client.
The last words of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur’s farewell speech at West Point went like this: “…when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, the Corps, the Corps.”
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Event Spotlight
Retirement Income Symposium
October 10-11, 2013
Hyatt Regency, Boston, MA
The symposium provides practical, innovative solutions to current industry challenges and provides advisors clear, actionable strategies that they can utilize to address their clients' needs.
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