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Habitat for Humanity honors General Colin L. Powell with green South Bronx residence for 50 families....

A primary goal for many wealthy clients....

Harris has launched the Harris Charitable Fund Program under the sponsorship and management of National Philanthropic Trust, a national public charity and major donor-advised fund provider, the two organizations announced Tuesday....

Is a Roth conversion in your client’s best interest—or is it a roll of the dice?...

Sales of new single-family houses in July fell 12.4% to 276,600, the slowest pace of sales on record since 1963. July durable goods orders rose slightly, but the increase came mainly from airplane orders....

Existing-home sales dropped sharply in July to historic lows after the home buyer tax credit expired, but home prices continued to gain, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Tuesday, August 24....

An analysis of data provided by the Investment Company Institute, a mutual fund industry trade organization, show bond fund asset inflows have outpaced equity fund inflows for 30 straight months through June....

High-net worth insurer Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) is expanding to another state on its way to becoming a national carrier, our sister publication National Underwriter reported Friday, August 20....

While the vast majority of Generation Y’ers believe it’s possible to achieve the American dream in their lifetime, only 34% feel that they have an adequate safety net and 38% say that they have credit card debt, according to a recent MetLife study....

The Financial Planning Association has announced the three keynote speakers who will share their global and domestic financial perspectives at the FPA’s October 9-12 annual conference. ...

Highmount Capital, a multi-family office based in New York and Boston, plans to open an office in Amsterdam by September and to add offices in London and Switzerland over the next year....

The Federal Reserve’s recent decision to keep the U.S. economy on track by buying longer-term Treasury notes already appears to have garnered at least one positive effect: the rate at which homeowners are refinancing their mortgages....

The Federal Reserve Board on proposed enhanced consumer protections and disclosures for home mortgage transactions....

For the third month in a row, builders surveyed in the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo housing market index for August expressed a lack of confidence in the newly built, single-family home market....

A financial storm may be brewing for the debt-laden, stressed young Americans who are part of the Generation Y demographic, according to a recent Western Union survey....

This was the strongest first half in the Gift Fund’s 19-year history....

Investors continue to shun U.S. stocks and are increasingly putting their money into funds that feature bonds, commodities, and alternative investments, according to the latest research from Morningstar....

Fannie Mae stock, which was delisted from the NYSE in June and now trades as penny stock in the over-the-counter market, reported a net loss of $1.2 billion in the second quarter of 2010. ...

The Federal Reserve’s policymakers kept interest rates at historic lows on August 10 as the nation’s economy continues to struggle against deflation threats, lackluster growth, and the possibility of a double-dip recession....

The Boards of Trustees for Social Security and Medicare released their annual financial status reports on the two programs...

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has announced that, at its Seattle meeting on August 15....

Wells Fargo Advisors says its independent brokerage arm is expanding and realigning its supervision team “in anticipation of continued growth.” Advisors affiliating with the group has grown 24% over the past 18 months. ...

The Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board of Standards is commemorating its 25th anniversary with a “25 tips over 25 weeks” consumer advocacy program....

American International Group reported a net loss of $2.7 billion for the second quarter of 2010, or $-3.96 per share, compared to net income of $1.8 billion, or $2.30 per share in the second quarter of 2009....

Bullish economic news was not to be found on August 3 as personal income and spending were reported flat in June while wages paid fell. Pending home sales declined, and factory orders fell for the second month in a row....

Home prices in May improved over prices in April, according to a Tuesday, July 27, report released by Standard & Poor’s which shows that the housing market has found its bottom and is stabilizing at a lower level....

Advisors surveyed in a poll released July 21 by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund expected clients’ taxes to rise, and fully one quarter (26%) said they also expected clients to raise their level of charitable giving to offset the increase....

Estate planning that contemplates retirement plans is becoming more prevalent and important. ...

New home sales rose to a rate of 330,000 sold in June, 23.6% higher than the historically low revised rate of 267,000 homes sold nationwide in May, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Monday, July 26....

Will new fiduciary regulation ‘shine the light’ for retail investors? Some are afraid it will; others welcome it. ...

Existing home sales fell 5.1% in June, with 5.37 million single-family homes, townhomes, condos, and co-ops sold compared to 5.66 million in May, the National Association of Realtors said....

BlackRock reported Q2 2010 net income of $432 million, up $214 million from a year ago and up $9 million from the first quarter. ...

The Financial Planning Association (FPA) has appointed Daniel J. Barry as its managing director of government relations and public policy, the Denver-based advisor advocacy announced June 20 in a release....

With the AFR near historical lows, wealth transfer beckons; for GRATs, act before the estate tax kicks in again....

On the heels of its filing for a $600 million stock offering, LPL Financial announced an agreement to acquire retirement plan specialist National Retirement Partners Inc. (NRP), which will form a new division called LPL Financial Retirement Partners....

Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) and Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) introduced July 14 a proposal to permanently reform the federal estate tax. ...

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo housing market index showed builders’ confidence in the single-family housing market dropped to its lowest point since April 2009, down two points to a reading of 14 in July....

Cerulli Global Report: Charities, Pensions Outpace Life Insurers’ Demand for Alternative Investments...

Weekly unemployment claims, pending home sales, and manufacturing index all show weaknesses...

Sale was 1.7 times oversubscribed, reassuring markets...

Conference Board index plunged in June; tax credit fueled April’s rise in home prices...

Though the markets are faring well, the sentiment of Wall Street firms is trending bearish....

Economic data suggest that the nation is still struggling to maintain its modest recovery...

Committee for the Fiduciary Standard urges legislators to ‘adopt House provision.’...

End of federal tax credit results in lax home sales as strong dollar raises risk of deflation...

Industry expert's unorthodox style resonates at Pershing Insite conference....

All aspects of consumers’ financial picture are ‘concerning.’...

Financial activity little changed, but a few Fed districts note a modest increase in lending ...

Also, lawmakers will use the Senate reform bill as the base text for their deliberations...

BMA Editor John Sullivan to live-blog from event, IA Group Editor-in-Chief Jamie Green to moderate panel...