William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence

William Byrnes (Texas A&M) tax & compliance articles

Posts Tagged ‘Brokerages’

The next hot annuity for clients is ?

Posted by William Byrnes on January 20, 2014


As clients have begun to feel the shifting winds with respect to the general economy, the annuity market is now undergoing its own type of evolution.

While products that tie fluctuations in an annuity’s cash surrender value to prevailing market interest rates may have seemed unacceptably risky to most clients just a few months ago, changes in today’s interest rate environment now have clients flocking to find these features.

Annuities with market value adjustment (MVA) features may be the next hot product for clients looking to beat the return on other conservative investment products, so read the full analysis of this emerging trend by Professor William Byrnes and Robert Bloink at Think Advisor !

ThinkAdvisor.com supports the professional growth and vitality of the Investment Advisory community, from RIAs and wealth managers of all kinds, to independent broker-dealer and wirehouse representatives. We provide unparalleled access to the knowledge, information and critical resources they need to succeed at every stage in their career, including professional development, education and certification, industry news and analysis, reference tools and services, and community networking opportunities.

Posted in Insurance, Pensions, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

FINRA Changes the Rules on How Low-Price Equities Are Traded

Posted by William Byrnes on September 7, 2011


The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has issued a regulatory notice addressing price volatility concerns associated with low-priced equity securities in customer margin and firm proprietary accounts. The notice advises that special attention be given to low-priced equity securities; price volatility is usually associated with low-priced equities because they are inherently volatile.

But what does FINRA consider a“low-price equity,” and what is the impact for you and your clients?

FINRA advises firms to weigh the risks that come with low-priced equity securities before extending credit in strategy-based or portfolio margin accounts. FINRA cautions firms to consider “volatility and concentrated positions in a single customer account and across all customer accounts, as well as the daily volume and market capitalization of each security when imposing ‘house’ maintenance margin requirements.”

Read this complete analysis of the impact at AdvisorFX (sign up for a free trial subscription with full access to all of the planning libraries and client presentations if you are not already a subscriber).

For previous coverage of FINRA-issued guidance in Advisor’s Journal, see Getting Your Feet Wet in the Social Media Market (CC 11-79) & SEC Says “Not So Fast” to Advisor Social Media Marketing (CC 11-40).

Posted in Wealth Management | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Are Portfolios-To-Go Threatening Your Business?

Posted by William Byrnes on August 13, 2011


The value that consumers place on traditional portfolio managers seem to be rapidly changing. A growing number of consumers are opting for pre-packaged, low-cost portfolio managers. Portfolio-to-go companies can, at least nominally, provide many of the same services as full-service brokerage firms, since the companies are registered as either investment advisors or broker-dealers. Minimal overhead and services allow portfolio managers flexibility to offer those services without the “high” price tag at brick-and-mortar institutions. Portfolios-to-go have seen a surge in popularity recently, bringing in over $3 billion in assets over the past three years. In a world where post-recession fears have almost everyone bargain shopping, are online portfolios-to-go the Walmart of investing, set to dominate the market and phase out traditional wealth managers? Or are these pre-packaged portfolios an opportunity in disguise?

Read this complete analysis of the impact at AdvisorFX (sign up for a free trial subscription with full access to all of the planning libraries and client presentations if you are not already a subscriber)

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What’s Driving the Increasing Appeal of the RIA Model?

Posted by William Byrnes on August 4, 2011


A large majority (86%) of advisors who are with an independent broker-dealer find the idea of life at an independent registered investment advisor (RIA) appealing, according to a Schwab Advisor Services study released on March 29th. And when the advisor knows someone who has already made the switch, the number who like the idea of making a move to the RIA model jumps to 95%.

One significant consideration for advisors considering a switch to an RIA is regulatory. Those who fully transition to the RIA model will dump FINRA for the SEC. But whether that’s an advantage or downside to the transition is open for debate.

Read this complete analysis of the impact at AdvisorFX (sign up for a free trial subscription with full access to all of the planning libraries and client presentations if you are not already a subscriber).

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Are Portfolios-to-Go Threatening Full-Service Brokerage and Advisory Firms?

Posted by William Byrnes on April 27, 2011


A growing number of consumers are opting for pre-packaged, low-cost portfolio managers. Portfolio-to-go companies can, at least nominally, provide many of the same services as full-service brokerage firms, since the companies are registered as either investment advisors or broker-dealers. And minimal overhead and services allow them to offer those services without the “high” price tag at brick-and-mortar institutions.

Portfolios-to-go have exploded in popularity recently, bringing in over $3 billion in assets over the past three years.  Read this two-page article by linking to AdvisorOne – a National Underwriters Summit Business open-access original content wealth management news portal.

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