By Michael Forman

The Street, be it Wall or Main, always looks healthier when the Bull chases away the Bear. That’s important to keep in mind when looking at our 2006 Brokerage Industry Rankings because the market and the alphabet soup of indicators used to take the industry’s pulse are the backdrop against which all other performance indicators must be considered. Was 2005 a good year in the market? Compared to the tech-driven days of the late 1990s, no. Compared to the years after the tech bubble burst, and the aftermath of 9/11, yes. However, regardless of market conditions, properly employed resources and talent along with skilled decision-making at firms can always go a long way towards mitigating the effects of weak or moribund markets. To a point, that is. (more…)

Courtesy of BDcompliance.com

The NASD has two new resources to support firm’s Anti Money Laundering (AML) programs. A free webcast is available at http://www.nasd.com/webcasts/aml. This 10-minute webcast highlights the importance of reps knowing their customers and provides tips on spotting suspected money laundering. There are also two e-learning courses available, which offer more in-depth training. (more…)

by Skip Moen

Solomon, the son of King David and Bathsheba, was the last ruler of the united kingdom of Israel. His reign— between 961 and 922 BC—was by all accounts the most prosperous and peaceful of all the Israelite kings. While later historians have embellished many of the stories of Solomon, there is no doubt that he displayed considerable vision and skill, particularly in practical matters of the state and the administration of justice, and secondly in the areas of academics and teaching. He was a patron of the literary arts, an architect and planner of some renown, and a commercial giant. (more…)

The Future for Investors: Why the Tried and the True Triumph Over the Bold and the New

By Jeremy J. Siegel (Crown Business, 2005)

In his 1994 classic Stocks for the Long Run, finance professor Jeremy Siegel championed equities as the path to prosperity, and recommended indexing (buying the S&P Index, for one) as the best way to capitalize on stocks’ superior return over bonds.

It turns out that Siegel has more to say about equities — and he has changed his mind about indexing as the best way to accumulate wealth. His latest work, The Future for Investors, takes his research to the next level, focusing on which stocks hold the most potential for investors. (more…)

by Lori Yaverbaum

I can´t wait to curl up in bed tonight with a good instruction manual.

Sounds strange—and pretty unbelievable, doesn’t it? That’s because it’s quicker—and more fun—to jump right in and start using a new product. As such, companies are devoting more and more resources to studying how people interact both physically and psychologically with technology in an effort to make their products and services so intuitive that an instruction manual is virtually unnecessary. The same idea applies to website usability. (more…)

by Rogan LaBier

Mergers and acquisitions in the small, privately held broker dealer space can appear downright mysterious. They occur behind closed doors, and frequently details are not publicly disclosed. There is no standardized procedure for reporting these transactions, and few people have firsthand experience with them. It is almost as if they don’t exist, but clearly they do: Every owner of every broker dealer has a friend who has sold his firm, or bought the assets of another. It’s just that when the time comes to contemplate selling one’s own practice, there are very few places to turn — and fewer knowledgeable professionals. (more…)

by Steven Drozdeck

Managers are constantly challenged to grow their offices in the most effective manner. As a manager, you are faced with corporate demands to embark on certain initiatives, sell more products, and develop the office. However, you cannot do it alone. You must rely on your registered representatives and staff members to develop their business in a way that supports your efforts. (more…)

by Jonathan Henschen

My first year recruiting was trial by fire. No formalized training or guidance, just get out there and figure it out. As with any learning curve, I quickly determined what works and what results only in futility. The purpose of this article is to share principles, practices and behaviors that broker dealers can use to avoid mistakes and dramatically improve their recruiting results. (more…)