Home of the Registered Investment Advisor
By Jessica Toonkel
Source: Investment News
According to a new study released by kasina LLC, cost is the most important factor financial advisers consider when choosing an exchange-traded fund. And advisers’ quest for lower costs will put an even greater squeeze on ETF providers, the consultancy found. The second-most-important factor for advisers when picking an ETF is liquidity. That was followed by transparency and tax efficiency, according to the survey.
By Diana Britton
Source: Registered Rep
Advisors are expecting the summer doldrums to kick in for the stock market and the economy over the next few months, according to Rydex|SGI’s Advisor Confidence Index, which surveys 150 RIAs on their views of the U.S. economy and stock market. The index fell 1.65 percent in May from April, the fourth straight monthly decline since reaching a four-year high in January. What action will advisors take? Perhaps be more cautious and shed riskier assets.
by Liz Skinner
Source: Investment News
The Section 529 college savings plan that Wells Fargo Funds Management LLC manages for Wisconsin performed the best of the nation’s 35 adviser-sold plans over the past year, according to ratings by Savingforcollege.com. The Wisconsin tomorrow’s scholar program — which has $978 million in assets and has set up accounts for 68,000 students — also tops the adviser-sold chart of 529 plans for performance over the past three years and ranks second for five-year performance. Savingforcollege.com issues a quarterly ranking based on a complicated analysis of investment performance across portfolios offered in the plan.
By Ruthie Ackerman
Source: Financial Planning
There was a lot of buzz around Unified Managed Account platforms at the recent Money Management Institute annual convention in Boston, according to this report by Ruthie Ackerman. MMI reports that UMAs skyrocketed over 100% in the last year, but they are still only 6% of the $2 trillion industry. It’s important to know that not all UMA platforms are the same.
