Michael Hayes

The retirement of A.G. Edwards Chairman, CEO and President Ben Edwards III in March once again ignited merger speculation. But Edwards brokers breathed a collective sigh of relief this year as the firm remained...

How much of a competitive threat are the CPAs in your neighborhood? At first glance, the numbers are intimidating. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants reports that almost 3,000 members have obtained...

Long before the firm announced in April that it was merging with Wachovia, brokers at First Union Securities complained about a corporate infrastructure taxed by growth and change. The operations department is a half...

Unlike former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt, new SEC chief Harvey Pitt isn’t opposed to sign-on bonuses for retail brokers. In a press conference at the SIA’s annual gathering in Boca Raton, Fla. Friday...

The Securities Industry Association’s annual bash is going on as planned, although the agenda was altered after Sept. 11. To no one’s surprise, the mood at the Boca Raton, Fla., convention is a bit more...

Merrill Lynch distributed its new compensation package to its retail sales force Oct. 29. Brokers serving $100,000-plus households and converting clients over to asset-based pricing accounts will be rewarded. Merrill...

Retirement scares people, says Roger Smith, a registered rep, CFP and co-owner of Planned Solutions, an RIA firm in Sacramento, Calif. I don't want to exaggerate, but these people are as close to petrified as you can...

The terrorist attacks stunned investors from Wall Street to Main Street. In response, many are maintaining their investment resolve. But some, despite reassurances, pleading and even a few threats from their brokers...