The U.S. Federal Reserve has once again hiked interest that it charges banks in the wake of continued elevated inflation— which peaked at 9.1 percent in June 2022— in a bid to calm what has been a lingering problem for the overheating economy, which slowed down to 1.1 percent annualized growth in the first quarter. Usually, the central bank eventually gets its own…
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Research found that while 46% of financial advisers say they are comfortable with their current growth rate, a mere 12% strongly agree with that sentiment.
Allianz Investment Management launched two new Buffered Exchange Traded Funds.

The key to financial freedom? Open conversations, survey finds
It’s time we had the money talk, say 66% of Americans, who say conversations about money are the key to financial freedom. But taboos remain.
May 6— NAUGATUCK— A federal grand jury has indicted a former Naugatuck man with fraud and money laundering offenses for running an investment scam that defrauded at least dozen people out of more than $550,000. Rafael Muzzi, 27, of Brazil, has been charged with 12 counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering in connection with the scheme, according to the…
U.S. officials said they were monitoring the banking sector for signs of fraud back in March. The source also pointed out that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warned in March that it was carefully watching market stability and would prosecute any form of misconduct during the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank– two regional banks…
May 4— The Adna School District was defrauded of $346,000 through what school officials have called a "sophisticated phishing scam," according to Adna Superintendent Thad Nelson. The district announced the fraud in a detailed email to The Chronicle on Thursday, noting that after the activity was confirmed, the district notified the FBI, the Washington state…
This week, a similar ESG debate is playing out in North Carolina. On Tuesday, the Senate Pensions and Retirement and Aging Committee approved Senate Bill 737, which lists the criteria the state treasurer is allowed to consider when investing North Carolina’ s pension fund. On Wednesday, the House Committee on State Government was scheduled to address House Bill…
A trial date has been set for a Howell County couple who have each been charged with a Class A felony of financial exploitation of an elderly person and a Class C felony of stealing at least $25,000 after an investigation conducted by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. It is alleged Jeffrey Proffitt, 64, and Juanita Proffitt, 54, both of…

Tips for financial advisors: What it takes to be a winner
We asked two award-winning advisors to share their tips for financial advisors who want to join the ranks of the winners.
Legislation introduced this week would establish parity for 403(b) retirement plans serving teachers, hospital workers, clergy, and non-profit employees.
Four U.S. regional banks failed in March and April. Four U.S. regional banks fell in two months, victims of bank runs by their customers, who were worried about losing their funds. But two days later, on March 10, the most serious banking crisis since the financial crisis of 2008 began, when the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury…
On May 2, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Brett M. Bartlett, his father-in-law Scott A. Miller, and their companies for fraudulent securities offerings that raised at least $20.5 million, some of which Bartlett and Miller misused for personal expenses. According to the SEC's complaint, from at least June 2018 to May 2020, Bartlett and Miller…
The legendary corporate raider is accused of a Ponzi-like scheme by the New York short-seller Hindenburg Research. It's become a key source of corporate fright, even panic, this year: the New York firm Hindenburg Research. On Jan. 24, Hindenburg Research accused Asia's richest man of fraud.

Study: Investor satisfaction with advisors falls along with markets
Investor satisfaction with investment advisors dropped in year-over-year financial advisor ratings, a recent study found.
Lincoln Financial Group released new research that shows small business owners have big personal finance concerns.
If the rate of inflation falls and the Federal Reserve starts to cut interest rates, then bond prices will increase and the value of bond funds with long maturities will increase, and equity prices will also rise. But no one can be sure if inflation will be controlled, and if inflation is not controlled better, then the Federal Reserve will not be taking steps to…
U.S. regulators have extracted some valuable lessons from the country's first banking crisis in more than a decade. Last week, both the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. offered their explanations in separate reports on the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank- part of a rash of collapses that persisted this past weekend as…

Survey identifies leading disruptors of the retirement industry
An aging workforce, Generation Z, the growing demand for personalized investment advice, and financial wellness were cited as top disruptors of the retirement industry in a recent survey.
Good savers who take full advantage of their 401 plans and other tax-deductible retirement plans could be setting themselves up for unnecessarily high tax bills in retirement. This tax bomb could be set off because the retiree's withdrawals will be taxable, and required minimum distributions could even force them into a new, higher tax bracket— and cause them…