Investment Advisor November 2008
Cover Story
Stepping Up
At a time when much of the financial services world is in crisis mode, with hyperbolic statements on the seriousness of the situation flowing like...
Features
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Measure Twice, Sell Once
By Brad Buffermann, David Grau, and Bob Clark Down markets are traditionally good for independent advisory practices. Many firms get a flood of new clients deserting...
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Hitting the Milestones
By Rajini Kodialam and Rudy Adolf n life, milestone events--a marriage, the birth of a child, a round-numbered birthday--prompt us to pause and take stock. We...
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Problem Solver
Just about any advisor can help someone with substantial assets get his financial house in order and set up a plan for the future. Dennis...
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The Essence of Independence
The heavy hits taken by wirehouse firms during the last few months' turmoil have led many brokers who may have idly thought about going independent...
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Getting Your Shares
Advisor Mike Patton of Integrity Wealth Management in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, thinks highly of exchange traded funds in building client portfolios since they are relatively...
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In The Game
"Basically, I felt stuck," recalls Matthew Keeling, a planner at Keeling Financial Strategies, in Mashpee, Massachusetts. "I knew what I wanted to do. I knew...
Beginnings
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A Q2 Meltdown
Using words like "violent," "extreme," and "unpredictable," Hennessee Group LLC principals Charles Gradante and Lee Hennessee struggled to describe the staggering September losses experienced by...
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Capitalism Comes To China
Market participants may find some irony in the idea that as the capitalist West embarks on bailouts and nationalization, the still--officially--Communist nation of China is...
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The SEC Rethinks Disclosure
At a time when the markets are at their worst, the Securities and Exchange Commission, via its 21st Century Disclosure Initiative, is examining how to...
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Catching Up With: Ken Fisher
Over the past few years, we've checked in with Ken Fisher several times to see how the founder and CEO of this largest of RIA...
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Moving On
By James J. Green and Melanie Waddell Lo, how the mighty have fallen, and who knows where it will end? This year is turning out to...
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Group Think
? Schwab Institutional announced the winners of the third annual Impact Awards, which honors advisors and firms that have "advanced the industry through their visionary...
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Changes
William Hart, founder of Chicago-based Hartline Investment Corp., has been elected chairman of the board of National Advisors Trust, owned by over 130 independent financial...
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Upgrades
CRM Software, which makes the CRM application Junxure, is getting into the practice management consulting business through the Junxure Solutions Group, which CRM President Greg...
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An Economic Excursion
The national savings rate in the United States is approaching an all-time low, meaning many American families are not in a position to successfully plan...
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Trust and Context
Among all the numbers surrounding the current economic crisis--$700 billion for the bailout of the toxic mortgages (or will that be used to buy stock...
Columns
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The Fine Art of Planning with Collectibles
Many affluent clients have a serious passion for collecting--and for some it reaches the level of obsession--with a range of interests from exquisite art to...
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Water, Water, Everywhere
Finding a clean and renewable energy source to replace petroleum is undoubtedly one of the most pressing, and well-publicized, problems facing civilization today. Oil, however,...
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Creation and Evolution
A number of lessons can be learned from the recent calamity in the financial markets: if you don't manage risk, you will likely fail; if...
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Spare Change
Last fall, I heard a senior mutual fund company executive give a talk in which he warned about the impending sub-prime disaster. I wish I'd...
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Sticking Up for Senior Investors
As the market turmoil rages on, one group of clients--seniors--don't have the luxury of being able to take some hits to their portfolios now with...
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Sore Losers
What ever happened to being a good sport? The days of humble winners and gracious losers seem to have vanished with tail fins and whitewall...
Conclusions
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401(k)s in Crisis
Since the financial meltdown took hold, one thing is certain: investors' 401(k) accounts have dropped. The retirement planning industry, along with Congress, is trying to...
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Your Clients' Unretirement
"In the annuity space, traditionally, products have offered guaranteed lifetime steams of income. That might be fine for people who are going to work all...
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Retirement News & Products
The Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued final rules pertaining to requirements under the Pension Protection Act (PPA) that relate to distribution of 401(k) benefits...
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Reinvesting Profits to Generate Income
Stephan Cassaday, CEO of Cassaday & Company, Inc., has developed a retirement investment process that he uses to make sure retirees do not outlive their...
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Figuring Out ARS Freeze
Since the auction rate securities (ARS) market froze in February of this year, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has gotten 11 of the largest...
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BD Briefs NEWS & PRODUCTS
Raymond James Financial ranked highest in employee advisor satisfaction among financial investment firms in a tie with Edward Jones, according to the J.D. Power and...
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Smoke and Mirrors?
The September turbulence surrounding the bailout of AIG has added to an ongoing debate: whether the Treasury Blueprint's plans for an Optional Federal Charter (OFC)...
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Insurance Information
While the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) and the American Insurance Association (AIA) are calling for a federal Office of Insurance Information, the National...
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Reasoned and Reasonable
For those many of you who called or e-mailed me about my last column regarding the confusion that is too often caused by both self...
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Investing in Turbulent Times
The housing crisis and credit market upheaval that began last year have been creating a roller coaster ride for market participants with equity markets down...
Sidebar Stories
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Safe and Sound
Our role, says Charles Goldman, is to "provide safety and soundness of clients' assets" for the advisors who custody those assets at Schwab Institutional (SI)....
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A Tale of Two Cities
At a time when investor confidence has been shaken by the almost daily news of unprecedented bailouts, bankruptcies, nationalizations, and stock markets that seemed to...
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Gestation Questions
Before deciding to launch your own RIA ask youself these three key questions: ? Are you prepared for the financial challenges and personal sacrifices you will...
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Self-Examination Questions
Successful advisors don't end their introspection once they've decided to become an RIA. In fact there are always more question to ask, such as: ? What...
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Transition Questions
nce your RIA is an established enterprise, a new set of questions needs to be addressed, including: ? What is your timeframe for retirement and how...
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About the Planner: Dennis K. O'Brien
Dennis K. O'Brien President & founder Coastal Financial Advisors 503 Casino Drive Farmingdale, New Jersey 07727 Phone: 732-683-2330 Web site: www.coastalfa.com Year firm established: 1999 Advisors in firm: 1 Number of clients: 25 Compensation: fee-only Client...
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Being There
Like many advisors, Dennis O'Brien spent much of his time on Monday, September 30, the day that Congress failed to pass the financial rescue bill,...
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The Retirement Angle
Conditions are improving for the increased use of exchange-traded funds in 401(k) plans, according to their proponents in the third-party administrator and investment fields. Before...
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Becoming A Coach
The International Coach Federation (ICF) (www.coachfederation.org/ICF) is a worldwide resource for business and personal coaches, as well as a source for those who are seeking...
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Coaching for Producers
"As a member of the independent broker/dealer business, Genworth Financial's vision is to be the wealth management partner of choice for independent financial professionals, and...
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Compensating a Coach
"The bottom line is you need to ask about return on investment, and specific experience with investment advisors," cautions Doug Gray, vice president of learning...
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