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LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES JUN 02, 2008
MassMutual to buy First Mercantile

MassMutual announced that it had completed its purchase of First Mercantile Trust Co. from SunTrust Banks Inc. of Atlanta.

OPINION JUN 02, 2008
Harvest your capital gains?

A mantra of tax-efficient investing is to harvest capital losses and defer all gains.

INDUSTRY NEWS JUN 02, 2008
Fidelity's new emerging-markets fund breaks new ground

Fidelity Investments' recent launch of an emerging-markets fund may signal the next frontier, but emerging markets' reputation for risk will likely lead investors to keep exposure to a minimum.

INDUSTRY NEWS JUN 02, 2008
Structured market leery of open systems

Open architecture has been slow to come to the structured products market.

LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES JUN 02, 2008
Fixed-annuity sales up 35%

Estimated sales of fixed annuities were $18.1 billion in the first quarter, a 35% increase from the level a year earlier.

OPINION JUN 02, 2008
Fed needs to strengthen the dollar

Fix the dollar, and a lot of other problems will disappear — or at least be eased.

LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES JUN 02, 2008
Retirement income products just can't get adviser love

Like Goldilocks, financial advisers can't seem to find many new retirement income products that are "just right."

LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES JUN 02, 2008
Brokers face insurance kickback investigation

A group of single-premium annuity pension plan brokers who allegedly took kickbacks from insurance carriers is under investigation by the state of Connecticut and may face steep penalties, according to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

INDUSTRY NEWS JUN 02, 2008
Minority financial literacy program going national

The Wall Street Wizards, the financial literacy program founded four years ago for minority students in the San Francisco Bay Area, is gearing up to go national.

INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 30, 2008
Economic indicators still slowing

Two key economic indicators, consumer spending and personal income growth, both slowed in April.

OPINION MAY 30, 2008
Ignoring Medicare enrollment rules can cost your client plenty

INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 29, 2008
Economy growth revised higher

The U.S. gross domestic product estimate for the first quarter was revised up to 0.9%, from a predicted 0.6%.

LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES MAY 29, 2008
Hartford rejiggers life insurance operations

The Hartford Financial Services has divided its life insurance operations into four market groups.

LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES MAY 29, 2008
Symetra Life offers income annuity

This deferred payout annuity allows clients to buy a stream of guaranteed income for a minimum of $10,000.

INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 29, 2008
Program allows kids to get fiscal

William Thomason's world is mysterious — at least to the black and Hispanic high school students entering the financier's Wall Street Wizards Urban Financial Literacy Program.

BROKER DEALERS MAY 29, 2008
LPL poised for acquisitions

LPL Financial, the nation's largest independent-contractor broker-dealer, is on the lookout for plum acquisition candidates, although a top executive says growth through current advisers is the company's prime goal.

INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 28, 2008
Mortgage and refinance applications fall

Mortgage applications dipped 4.6% for the week ended May 23 due to a drop in refinancing activity.

INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 28, 2008
Durable goods orders off slightly

New orders for durable goods fell by a lower-than-expected 0.5% last month, according the Department of Commerce.

INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 27, 2008
Analyst cuts 2Q projections for big firms

A Bank of America analyst has slashed earnings estimates for Lehman Bros., Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 27, 2008
Consumer confidence drops to 16-year low

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell to a reading of 57.2, down from 62.8 in April.