What does integrity have to do with superior portfolio performance? A lot, say researchers in a study released in May, which found that advisors who demonstrate high levels of moral and emotional competency outperformed the S&P 500 by 73 percent...
Even smart investors make foolish choices. In their search for hot returns, mutual fund shareholders often buy near the market peak. Then after experiencing big losses, the same shareholders sell near the trough. One of the most notable examples...
Economist Paul Zane Pilzer considers himself to be an environmentalist. But he is not your average greenie. Indeed, Pilzer is something of an icononclast: There is no such thing as scarcity of natural resources, he argues. When humans were running...
Yes, it's easy to get sick of all this hype about the environmental movement. An Inconvenient Truth (whether you agree with its conclusions or not) won an Oscar; hottie celebs are driving hybrid automobiles; the press gushes about eco-related...
The sub-prime lending meltdown could be spreading. It’s one thing for Bear Stearns to have to arrange a $3.2 billion bailout of one of its hedge funds, but, for the brokerage industry, the problem just hit closer to home...
Individual investors are paying less to own mutual fund shares, as fees and expenses have hit their lowest level in more than 25 years, according to research published Tuesday by the Investment Company Institute. In 2006, fund shareholders, on...
Sara and John Fisher are in their mid-50s. Their professional careers are successful and they've amassed about $5 million in assets. While they could keep working, they're ready for something new. They want to start making their dreams come true...
A recent ruling by the Securities and Exchange Commission has made it easier for private foundations organized as not-for-profit corporations with at least $5 million in investments to access the world of alternative investments. Previously, that...
The variety of alternative investments available to the public has exploded in the last 10 years just as prudent investor standards have empowered trustees to explore strategies that better serve clients. No wonder that fiduciaries increasingly...
Something funny happened on the road to nirvana. After an unusually extended period of calm, the financial markets began acting like markets again at the end of February 2007. On Feb. 27, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged by more than 400...