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Summary: The language of finance is complicated, and sometimes intentionally so. From the “turgid dialect” of Fedspeak to the intentionally tortured and complicated mouse print disclaimers on investment prospectuses, the industry embraces verbosity. So when a New York Times best-selling author appears on 60 Minutes to declare that the stock market is “rigged,” it stands in stark contrast to the usual hedging, sidestepping and equivocating.
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Summary: We now are facing the threat of a compromised fiduciary standard that will allow brokerage firms to conduct business as usual. We have seen the SEC issue reports that openly talk about accommodating the brokerage industry’s business model.
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Summary: A financial adviser should never get caught off guard — or show surprise or resentment — when a client raises a question about fees. After all, surveys have shown that financial advisory fees are widely misunderstood. A 2011 study by Cerulli Associates Inc. found that 33% of investors did not know how they paid for investment advice, and 31% said they thought the advice they got was free.
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Summary: 12th year of the IA 25, annual list of the most influential people in and around the advisor industry. All the editors of the Investment Advisor Group—of Investment Advisor and Research magazines and ThinkAdvisor.com—weighed in over several months to choose individuals who in our judgment have been influential, are influential and likely in the future will influence the markets; how advisors invest and plan retirement for clients; and who will affect the regulatory and legislative environment in which advisors operate.
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Summary: There are good books that make you think differently about the world, and occasionally great books that really make you question the underpinnings of what you think reality is. I believe the new Michael Lewis book, “Flash Boys,” falls into the latter camp.
