Juggling Dynamite

Danielle was a guest with Jim Goddard of Talk Digital Network talking about recent developments in the world economy and markets. Here is a direct audio link.

This week’s segment: Signing bonuses to brokers–the industry’s dirty (big) secret

The secular bear in stock markets since 2000 has brought disappointing returns and a trend of consolidation among financial advisory firms. Many brokers and advisers have been moving from firm to firm and convincing their clients to follow them on promise of better client products and service. What they usually don’t explain however, is that the broker is typically paid a large signing bonus each time they succeed in moving client assets to new firms, meant to be recouped by the new firm over time through fees charged to client assets. Here is a direct podcast link.

All of Danielle’s podcasts are now available for free in the iTunes Store here.

Bloomberg’s Scarlet Fu displays the divergence between household wealth in the United States and the level of real spending.Here is a direct video link.