• Cover Story

  • Surviving a Bank Failure

    By Howard J. Stock

    Record numbers of failed banks mean advisors should have a Plan B just in case.

  • Columns

    • Producer Profile

  • Employee Benefits

    By Howard J. Stock

    Liz Calaman, a financial advisor at SunTrust in Richmond, Va., found a niche on her doorstep-up to 40% of her $100 million book is assets from coworkers, their families and friends.

  • Departments

    • Production

  • The Best Talking Points

    By Sam Richter

    The Internet is a fount of information about people, as long as you know where and how to look. People searching can also be fun and, once you get used to it, easy as well.

  • 2009 TPM Report Card

    By Howard J. Stock

    Last year was busy for third-party marketers (TPMs), the broker-dealers who sell investments through banks and credit unions.

    • People

  • The Credit Union Way

    By Dave Lindorff

    A number of advisors and program managers who made the switch from banks to CUs swear by the customer loyalty that a true service culture provides.

    • Portfolio

  • What's Happening With REITs?

    By Dave Lindorff

    REITs have regained a lot of ground last year, delivering an average return of 20% in 2009. But many experts warn that a commercial property crisis could be still in the offing, and housing prices are still falling in most areas.

  • In Every Issue

    • Branching Out

  • Point of Know Return in Kansas

  • Editor's Letter

  • A Rep's Eye View

    Many banks and thrifts were destroyed in the financialcrisis last year, andthe FDIC has been busy scooping up the ruins and turning them over to more stable players. And even more institutions are expected to fail this year than in 2009.

  • FrontLines

  • Trends & Takeaways

  • BofA Banks on 401(k)s

    Bank of America expects "significant" growth in 401(k) assets this year, but analysts are skeptical about where and how BofA can expect to generate new business.

  • ETF Assets Sink to $730b

    Total assets in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) fell 5.8%, or $45 billion, in January from a month earlier, according to monthly data from State Street.

  • Advisors Mull Turning Tactical

    Fee-based financial advisors are grappling with the fallout from the crash of 2008 and see tactical asset management as the way to navigate the current market, according to a survey of 750 advisors by Jefferson National.

  • TD Exits Bank Brokerage

    TD Bank is apparently "transitioning out of" its financial advisory business, according to the company. At stake are over 100 advisors and about 100,000 clients, according to unnamed sources close to the company.

  • Reps' Sales Sink in 2009 as Bank Deposits Rise

    Bank brokerage revenue fell 14% in 2009 in relative terms across banks of all sizes, according to new data from Kehrer-LIMRA. Individual advisor production dropped by a corresponding amount, 16%, from an average monthly gross of $29,249 in 2008 to $24,427 in 2009.