Research Magazine September 2012

To Break Political Gridlock, a Bold New Direction on Taxes

By Kenneth Silber, Research

On Jan. 21, 2013, either a re-elected President Obama or a newly elected President Romney will face economic trouble and congressional stubbornness. Here’s a bold way through.

How to Get High Performance With Low Risk From New Strategy

By Michael Finke

Recent studies find that high-beta stocks don’t perform as well as they should, and that low-beta stocks do better than the model would predict. But why?

Clearing's New Space

By Jane Wollman Rusoff

In these challenging times—lethargic economy, record-low interest rates, high market volatility, softer trading volumes and a regulatory overhaul—the top firm in the clearing space has decided to totally transform its business model.

The Crown of a Good Name

By Jane Wollman Rusoff

On the big screen, fictional insider-trading sleazeball Gordon Gekko exhorted: “Greed … is good.”

We Have Not Been Saved

By Gil Weinreich, AdvisorOne

While Nouriel Roubini or Jeremy Grantham can be counted on to deliver prophecies of doom dressed up in the dismal prose of the economics profession, the original doomsayer—the prophet Jeremiah—expressed himself far more vividly, and his poetry speaks to our times.

Cold Calling 2012

By Bill Good

I need your help to find out which cold calling scripts and lists work best and what unique strategies may be out there.

Africa’s Chance

By Alexei Bayer

Sub-Saharan Africa didn’t suffer as much in the 2008 global financial crisis as the rest of the world, since it lacked both large banks and sophisticated financial infrastructure, and its levels of consumer and government debt were relatively low.

Balancing Retirement Risks

By Michael Finke

How much should a new retiree spend each year?

Q2 ’12 Wealth Profits Top Year-Ago Results

By Janet Levaux, AdvisorOne

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch reported profits of $2.5 billion for second-quarter 2012, or 19 cents a share, beating analysts’ estimates of 14 cents.

Advisor Group to Acquire Woodbury

By Janet Levaux, AdvisorOne

Advisor Group, part of the SunAmerica Financial Group, said in late July that it planned to buy Woodbury Financial Services from The Hartford.

Muni Crisis Brewing?

By Ron DeLegge, ETFguide.com

Up until now, investing in municipal bonds has been a calm experience. Politicians and credit raters have assured the public that munibonds are safe. But tremors are appearing.

InvescoPowerShares Adds DWA Technical ETFs

By Ron DeLegge, ETFguide.com

The PowerShares DWA SmallCap Technical Leaders Portfolio (DWAS) became the fourth ETF that Invesco PowerShares linked to the DWA Technical Leaders strategy, from Dorsey Wright.

Income ETFs Attack Low Yields

By Ron DeLegge, ETFguide.com

Investors have been battling record low yields and a series of new income ETFs might offer some help.

Aussie ETFs Make Debut

By Ron DeLegge, ETFguide.com

The ProShares Ultra Australian Dollar (GDAY) and ProShares UltraShort Australian Dollar (CROC) made their trading debut.

ProShares Unveils Financial ETFs

By Ron DeLegge, ETFguide.com

ProShares recently unveiled two industry sector ETFs that offer 300% daily leverage and inverse exposure to financial stocks.

Direxion Switches Indexes

By Ron DeLegge, ETFguide.com

Direxion Shares made changes to the underlying benchmark indices for eight leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds, shifting from the Russell index universe to that of Standard & Poor’s.

Target-Date Results Falling Behind

By Janet Levaux, AdvisorOne

The second quarter wasn’t kind to the markets or target-date funds, according to Ibbotson Associates.

Fidelity DC Sales Up 36%

By Janet Levaux, AdvisorOne

T. Rowe Shares Positive Results in Q2

By Janet Levaux, AdvisorOne

T. Rowe Price said it had net revenues of $736.8 million, net income of $206.8 million, and diluted earnings per common share of $.79, in the second quarter.

Core Competency

Solid growth and promising research and development pipelines bode well for companies that sell pharmaceutical and related health-care products.

The Tab for Independence

By Ellen Uzelac

Can advisors across the spectrum afford to go independent, no matter their asset level? Opinion is mixed.

Three Advisors, Three Stories

By Ellen Uzelac

When Louis Berger and his partner founded their RIA, Washington Square Capital Management, in New York City in 2009, they had to adjust their mindset.

Calculating the Tab

By Ellen Uzelac

What does it cost to get the door open as an independent advisor?

Before Leaping to Independence, Look at Your Motivation

By Ed McCarthy, CFP

If you want to join the RIA ranks, first make a candid assessment of your reasons for doing so.

One Group’s Story

By Ed McCarthy, CFP

Moving from the brokerage world to independent status is a major decision that shouldn’t be rushed.

Going Independent?

By Nancy Miller

Going independent? Already selected your new venue? Then you’ve already made some very big decisions about making a change and the kind of change you want.

Avoiding Breakaway Protocol Missteps

By Gil Weinreich, AdvisorOne

A team of Merrill Lynch advisors who left for Morgan Stanley in April were caught trying to remove boxes containing confidential customer information, becoming a cautionary tale for brokers tempted to break protocol.

Four Reasons REITs Belong in Retirement Portfolios

By Michael R. Grupe, NAREIT

The U.S. economy slowed in the first half of 2012 and is delivering only tepid growth.

REITs: An Attractive Investment Opportunity

By Ed McCarthy, CFP

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) continue to produce solid returns for investors