I. Multiple Goals ...

As effective as cost-cutting can be, there comes a point in every business diet when there is no more fat to cut. Such is the case now in the brokerage industry.

It's no secret that sales assistants are the administrative linchpins of many a brokerage office, but never before has their role been so crucial to the smooth operation of their practices.

Like any other rep, Ron Carson, whose $870 million practice rates him as one of America's top brokers, is vulnerable. This is the conclusion he drew from a 2002 incident in which he was hit with a $12 million complaint. He was accused of a garden...

When the scandal craze that has gripped the securities industry first got its kick in the pants two years ago from Eliot Spitzer and his crew, few in the industry recognized how deep it might go. Sure, some nefarious conflicts of interest would be...