Recently added articles from Bank Investment Consultant:

Selling Advice.

Jul 01, 2008; Stock, Howard J. ... Bank customers are so frequently described as boring-conservative, unsophisticated, etc.-that it's no wonder banks lead the financial services industry in fixed annuity sales. These products offer a predictable return, are guaranteed not to lose money, and are just as boring as the people ...

Annuities Get Hung Up On "What If".

Jul 01, 2008; Lindorff, Dave ... The big crisis facing those nearing retirement these days is the fear that their savings won't last until they pass on. For those fortunate enough not to have that worry, there is a second concern: That they will spend every penny and won't have anything to leave to their children or ...

Most Gains Come After Retirement.

Jul 01, 2008; Stock, Howard J. ... Investment returns earned during retirement play a critical role in providing retirement income, Russell Investments claims in its 10/30/60 Rule report, issued on May 27. The report challenges conventional wisdom that most retirement income is derived from savings and returns accumulated ...

SPIA of Destiny.

Jul 01, 2008 ... Adding a single payment immediate annuity to a mutual fund portfolio increases the probability that the portfolio will meet a client's retirement income needs. <Pre> WITHDRAWALS FROM MUTUAL FUNDS ONLY ADDING SPIA TO THE MIX Probability of ...

Fixed Annuity Sales Continue to Soar.

Jul 01, 2008; Stock, Howard J. ... Sales of fixed-income annuities hit $18.8 billion in the first quarter of 2008, an increase of 35.2% over the first quarter last year and 7.2% higher than the fourth quarter, according to Beacon Research's Fixed Annuity Premium Study, released on May 30. The report, which ...

Trust Providers Broaden Advisory Services.

Jul 01, 2008; Ryst, Sonja ... Financial services firms are making it easier for their investment advisors to address a broader array of clients' trust needs, ranging from estate planning to philanthropic giving. In late May, Pershing, the Jersey City, N.J., unit of Bank of New York Mellon Financial, said it ...

Winners Online.

Jul 01, 2008 ... If you haven't spent some time on bankinvesetmentconsultant.com, check it out. Several of this year's BIC Top 20 Program Managers have joined the discussion boards to talk directly with the editors and are offering to talk with you about their programs. John Brenkovich, program ...

GOLDEN GLOBE: A falling dollar send many investors overseas where they have been rewarded by handsome returns. Is the party over?

Jul 01, 2008; Stock, Howard J. ... In 2005, the Wheaton, Ill., exchange-traded fund sponsor Invesco PowerShares launched the first ETF based on water. It tracked the Palisades Water Index of U.S. water companies. The ETF did pretty well, says William Belden, managing director at local competitor Claymore, in Lisle, Ill. But ...

Value Play: Huntington's Scott Frush uses exchange-traded funds exclusively to keep costs low and client satisfaction high.

Jul 01, 2008; Stock, Howard J. ... Not many bank advisors use exchange-traded funds (ETFs). When they do, it's usually just to complement mutual funds and annuities. But Scott Frush, an independent-advisor-turned-bank-rep plans to establish his book using only ETFs to build diversified portfolios at bargain-rate costs for ...

Buying Talent: Competition between banks for top wealth managers continues unabated, despite skyrocketing hiring costs.

Jul 01, 2008; Ryst, Sonja ... Financial services firms continue to battle against one another for wealth management talent even though hefty salaries are crimping profits. Mindy Diamond, president of search firm Diamond Consultants in Chester, N.J., says that there are plenty of job offers in the wealth ...

Riding the SURF: Using the Strategic Unconscious Rapport Formula seals the deal quickly and predictably.

Jul 01, 2008; Cobb, Bob ... April's article, "Rapid Rapport" generated so many questions about how to follow the Strategic Unconscious Rapport Formula (SURF) that I decided to use this column to delve into more detail. Occasionally we have a first client meeting, where we establish great rapport and trust ...

The Commodity Question: Bank advisors tend to shy away from the hot and volatile sector, but there may be a good reason to get in the game-a little.

Jul 01, 2008; Lindorff, Dave ... Over the past two years, oil prices have soared more than 200%, from $40 a barrel to $139 a barrel. At least one analyst, Goldman Sachs' Arjun Murti, is predicting a further increase, to $200 a barrel. Gold, over the same two-year period, has risen from $650 an ounce to $950, an increase ...

Why ETNs?: Exchange-traded notes are debt instruments created to access specialized markets. Who's buying them and what you should know.

Jul 01, 2008; Lindorff, Dave ... You're still getting used to exchange-traded funds (ETFs), when the investment banks hand you a new product to grapple with: exchange-traded notes (ETNs). While both share similar acronyms and trade like stocks, they're fundamentally different. ETFs are bundles of stocks or ...

New Products.

Jul 01, 2008 ... MUTUAL FUNDS WaterHealth International; Environment Protection Group; Global Easy Water Products Pvt. Acumen Fund (212) 566-8821 www.acumenfund.org Dollar Bull 2.5x Fund Direxion Funds (800) 851-0511 ...

And to My Dear Woofy...: These days, estate planning can include family pets. Helping clients care for their furry loved ones can bind them closer to you.

Jul 01, 2008; Kalter, Joanmarie ... Don't scoff. Oprah Winfrey just left $30 million to her dogs. Like many people who didn't have children she considers her pets her "babies" and heirs. And pet trusts are not just for the likes of Leona Helmsley, who left $12 million to her beloved white Maltese named Trouble. (The dog's ...

Profitable Partnerships: Wachovia's strategy for breaking down silos and bringing financial advisors into the fold.(Company overview)

Jul 01, 2008; Pitt, Amy ... One plus one equals three. No, it's not fuzzy math or a recipe for cooking the books. It's how Wachovia looks at partnerships within our company. We know that our financial advisors are much stronger working with partners in other divisions of the bank than they are ...

Cash in the Cow State.

Jul 01, 2008 ... BIC: What new or unique opportunities are there in your territory? Martinson: We're changing from manufacturing to a professional demographic, especially in medicine. We have three major healthcare centers, and that brings in higher wages and rollover dollars. Topham: ...