On Wall Street Blogs - The Smart Advisor

Updated Tuesday, May 21, 2013 as of 8:41 AM ET

Blogs The Smart Advisor

Why a Former Morgan Stanley Exec Compared Wall Street to a Fat Guy

Jesse Marrus
May 20, 2013

"I think to just look at numbers on Wall Street and say, 'It looks like it's struggling' -- it's contracting in a very healthy way," said fomer Morgan Stanly Executive Bob Auer. "It's almost like a big fat guy that is losing weight. To say, 'Oh, he's just not the same guy�' No -- he's getting healthier and better."

With Election Over, Can Parties Find Common Ground?

Frances McMorris
November 7, 2012

The uncertainty has vanished with the re-election of Barack Obama as president. But the incumbent who won a second term last night still has a number of problems that he continues to face � from a sluggish economic recovery, a huge deficit, a stubbornly high unemployment rate and of course, the fiscal cliff.

Being the Trusted Advisor in a Natural Disaster

Frances A. McMorris
October 29, 2012

As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the East Coast, people in the path of this storm are preparing, but are they prepared for its aftermath, when the life and property damage has to be assessed?

Mitt’s Momentum

Frances A. McMorris
October 23, 2012

Mitt Romney �has the momentum and nothing last night happened to change that,� said Charles Black, a Romney campaign advisor at the SIFMA annual meeting in New York.

Building the Future of the Advisor Business

Frances McMorris
October 11, 2012

The advisory industry has been fretting about the impending tsunami of retiring advisors in the coming years for some time. As a result, firms are assembling succession programs as a way to ease the transition of client assets from older advisors to the much younger set.

Goodbye Smith Barney

Frances McMorris
September 25, 2012

Firms come and firms go, but there has to be a bit of nostalgia for Smith Barney.

The Loyalty Question: How Can Big Brokerage Firms Keep Advisors in Their Seats?

Frances A. McMorris
September 6, 2012

Firms need to foster real loyalty between themselves and their investor-clients, especially if advisors continue to leave, says Arthur Levitt, the former chairman of the SEC.

Finding The Next Emerging Economies

Frances A. McMorris
May 11, 2012

It looks as if the BRICs have seen their best days, but what's next?

Change Versus Growth for Advisors and Their Firms

Frances McMorris
September 22, 2011

Growth -- the kind measured in revenue and profits -- is the ultimate goal for the entire brokerage industry. As On Wall Street editor-in-chief Frances McMorris points out, figuring out how to achieve these goals while dealing with constant change is what firms like Raymond James and its competitors are now learning to do on the fly.

Finding Strength in the U.S. Economy

Frances A. McMorris
September 8, 2011

While there may be investing opportunities in the markets, the weak housing market and unemployment hovering just above 9% are the issues that concern the nation and that are depressing the president’s poll numbers. And, voters -- including those without jobs and those who want to look for better ones --are getting mighty impatient.

Finding Strength in the U.S. Economy

Frances McMorris
September 8, 2011

The Jobs Picture Improves Ever So Slightly

Frances A. McMorris
May 6, 2011

I hate mixed messages but it seems there is finally some good news on the employment front. According to the Department of Labor this morning, non-farm payroll employment added 244,000 jobs in April, with the private sector seeing job growth of 268,000. While that figure exceeded expectations, the unemployment rate rose to 9%. Some experts explained that increase to the people who weren’t looking for jobs now resuming their job-hunt. …