Financial Services

5th Circuit Agrees: Stock Brokers & Insurance Agents Just Salespeople

5th Circuit Agrees: Stock Brokers & Insurance Agents Just Salespeople

The Stock Brokerage and Insurance Industries are fighting hard against the Department of Labor's Fiduciary Rule, which would require their advisers to put their client's interests first and disclose conflicts of interest. The industries got the 5th Circuit Court to agree that, unlike Registered Investment Advisers, stock brokers and insurnce agent are just salespeople

What the Broker Protocol Exits Mean for Investors

What the Broker Protocol Exits Mean for Investors

Investors may mistakenly think Morgan Stanley and UBS leaving the Broker Protocol agreement only impacts stock brokers and their employers. The SEC, however, identified the Broker Protocol as an important agreement for both customer choice and privacy.

Do You Know How Your Advisor is Licensed

Do You Know How Your Advisor is Licensed

Between the wide range of meaningless job titles and the alphabet soup of certifications and designations, it's easy for an advisor to hide how they truly do business. One thing an adviser can't hide, however, is how they're licensed. Knowing the license will tell you what they can advise on, how they are compensated, and whether they are fiduciaries.

How Much Life Insurance Is Enough

How Much Life Insurance Is Enough

Calculating the right amount of insurance is as much art as it is science. There are a wide variety of methods developed to calculate life insurance needs, including ones that rely on rules of thumb and make it easy to come to a number. Simpler methods make calculating your life insurance needs so simple you can do it in a few seconds with a calculator. But are they accurate?