Pacific Divorce Management Launches Franchise
San Diego-based Pacific Divorce Management is launching a new franchise system for financial advisors looking to aid divorcing spouses. The goal is to give advisors a turnkey business solution so they have the tools to help couples address the financial aspects of divorce in a civilized, equitable and efficient manner. The system is also designed to help advisors offer financial planning and advice focused on long-term results to ease the potential harmful financial effects of divorce on clients.

The franchise offers financial analysis, financial planning and decision coaching. Legal advisors offer the structure and guidance necessary to shape agreements, while Pacific Divorce Management offers options and strategies to ensure that clients obtain the most financially advantageous settlement possible.

The franchise business model is designed to help advisors learn the financial intricacies of divorce and help them guide clients through difficult financial decisions and through the post-divorce transition into financial independence.

“Divorce is typically the largest financial transaction of most people’s lives,” says Mark C. Hill, managing director of Pacific Divorce Management. “With 2 million people getting divorced in the U.S. every year, there is both a social need and a business opportunity for a large-scale force to help guide these individuals through the financial decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives.”


GoalgamiPro Available On Salesforce.com’s AppExchange
Advisor Software has added its goalgamiPro quick-planning solution to Salesforce.com’s AppExchange. Developed as an alternative to a lengthy financial plan, goalgamiPro allows advisors to create a plan in a few minutes and generate a series of client-focused one-page reports. Advisors who use Salesforce as their CRM platform can access the goalgamiPro application without having to leave their Salesforce work flow.
“Client goal data will be part of the CRM record—and not held in a separate system—so advisors can leverage that data for everyday client conversations and analysis,” said Neal Ringquist, president and chief operating officer of Advisor Software.


Touchstone Investments Launches Arbitrage Fund
Cincinnati-based Touchstone Investments is offering a new alternative investment with the launch of the Touchstone Arbitrage Fund. Sub-advised by Longfellow Investment Management Co., the fund primarily invests in the securities of companies that are involved in publicly announced mergers.
Merger arbitrage is an investment strategy that attempts to capture the “arbitrage spread” represented by the difference in the market price of the securities of the target company and the value that is offered for these securities by the acquiring company.


Cetera Expands Connect2Clients
Cetera Financial Group has expanded its Connect2Clients advisor marketing and social media platform. The platform is designed to allow advisors the ability to create, customize and implement marketing communication campaigns.
Cetera has added new Web tools and a business-coaching program as well. To keep clients engaged, you can use the new Web tools package to tailor content specifically to them. For advisors, the coaching component includes personalized, one-on-one sessions, video tutorials, live webinars and social media discussion groups.


New York Life Launches Animated 401(k) Videos
New York Life Retirement Plan Services has launched a new video series of animated “whiteboards” illustrating the importance of retirement planning concepts for 401(k) plan participants.
The “MyLifeNow Chronicles” addresses such core topics as saving more and taking full advantage of a company match. The first three videos are: “The Adventures in Saving More,” “Let’s Talk about Match” and “Put Your Savings on ‘Otto’ Pilot.”
An example can be viewed at: https://www.brainshark.com/nylimllc/MyLifeNow_SaveMore.
The whiteboards use humor to tackle the core topics, says Rachel Rice, chief marketing officer at New York Life Retirement Plan Services.


First Trust Adds Commodity Strategy Fund
First Trust has launched its sixth actively managed ETF. The First Trust Global Tactical Commodity Strategy Fund takes a risk-managed approach to investing in commodities by investing up to 25% of its total assets in commodity futures contracts and exchange-traded commodity-linked instruments. The remainder of the fund’s assets will primarily be invested in short-term, investment-grade fixed income securities; money market instruments; and cash.
The fund is structured to provide a cost-effective way to invest in commodity futures in addition to offering daily liquidity and full transparency of holdings and pricing.