Wealth Manager Web March 2009

Cover Story

• To The Editor March 2009

  By Staff Writer

  When Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in September of 2008, the Reserve Primary Money Market fund announced that its price per share had dropped below...

• Wired for Trouble

  By Andrew McElwee

  Technology that does more harm than good is a familiar sci-fi theme. For people who can afford the best, however, truth often proves scarier than...

• Presidential Promises

  By Julian Block

  Tax-code changes have averaged one-per-day over the past eight years--with 500 changes in 2008 alone, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson announced in her annual report...

• To Your Health

  By Stan Luxenburg

  During 2008, health funds lost 23.3%, according to Morningstar. While shareholders may have seen little reason to cheer, the group did outdo the S&P 500...

• The Curious Case of Falling Bond Yields

  By Ben Warwick, Quantitative Equity Strategies

  The bear case for the dollar and 30-year government bonds is pretty easy to make: As deficits grow, and the U.S. continues to borrow heavily...

• ETF Trendsetter

  By Michael S. Fischer

  Global Trends Investments' entrepreneurial investment approach appeals to business owners who make up the bulk of its high-net-worth client base, according to the firm's founder...

• Face Value

  By Vanessa Drucker

  here is plenty of blame to go around for the financial meltdown of 2008. Culprits range from dozy regulators to feckless investors to consumers who...

• Treasury Strategy

  By Brian Perry

  Some market participants are concerned that as global financial markets normalize, investors will abandon low-yielding Treasuries in favor of more attractive options. Since most bond...

• Unintended Consequences

  By Susan L. Hirshman

  Today's tax law changes, volatile markets and low interest rates may unleash something that your client is not ready for--the law of unintended consequences. As...

• Supporting the CSA

  By Philip Palaveev, Fusion Advisor Network

  The position of client service administrator (CSA) has not only become pervasive throughout the wealth management industry, but has also become the backbone of many...

• Bad Times, Good Timing

  By Nancy R. Mandell

  Trust: Clients seek it; you've earned it. But in the post-Madoff era, even established registered investment advisors are tainted by the public skepticism born first...

• Happy New Year?

  By J. Gibson Watson III, CIMA, Envestnet

  Portfolio managers, advisors and investors alike were relieved to close the book on 2008 and look forward to a hopefully better 2009. Unfortunately, the impact...

• If the Shoe No Longer Fits

  By Kim Wright-Violich

  While investors and retirement accounts have felt the pain of the past year's massive stock market losses, non-profits have experienced a perfect storm with depreciating...

• Timing May Not Be Everything

  By Gavin Morrissey, JD, LLM, Commonwealth Financial, Gavin Morrissey, JD, LLM, Commonwealth Financial

  For the past few months, I've expressed how current market conditions, combined with certain estate and tax planning strategies, can produce remarkable results. Depressed asset...