Shares of asset management companies fell with the broader market in afternoon trading Thursday even after several reported big earnings gains to close out 2009. Assets under management rose and inflows trended higher as investors started getting back into mutual funds. Still, FBR Capital Markets analyst Matt Snowling kept his “Market Perform” rating on Janus Capital Group Inc., and modestly boosted his price target to $13 from $12.50

ING Investment Management is looking to hire a global head of consultant relations, a new position for the firm. The search comes three months after the firm’s parent, ING Groep NV, announced that it was splitting up its banking and insurance operations, and considering initial public offerings and divestitures of its various units.

From the start, the man accused of killing motivational speaker Jeffrey Locker told a startling tale: He said Locker asked for help stabbing himself to death so his family could collect life insurance money. Six months later, evidence is mounting that Kenneth Minor may have told nothing but the truth, prosecutors and Minor’s lawyer say. “Certain information has been discovered which tends to lend some support to that claim” — including findings that the debt-ridden Locker had bought numerous insurance policies, changed their beneficiaries and researched funeral arrangements online not long before he died, prosecutors said in a letter last month

Five months later, $60K richer… People are very excited about Lee Lowell and his “instant money codes.” Here are just two of many e-mails that have come in the past few days: “Last year I made slightly over $15,000 on your low-risk recommendations. Thanks for your advice and for introducing me to a new way to make money.” “Lee, you are a miracle worker

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T his is the third in a series of 10 excerpts from Investing for Canadians for Dummies. The goal of most companies is to make money, or earnings (also called profits).

T he Obama administration Thursday made a down payment on an ambitious plan to develop high-speed rail as a way to boost regional economies and provide transportation alternatives to cars and air travel in fast-growing areas. President Barack Obama headed to Florida to announce awards of $8-billion (U.S.) in grants to 31 states and the District of Columbia. “That investment is how we can break ground across the country, putting people to work building high-speed rail lines, because there’s no reason why Europe or China should have the fastest trains when we can build them right here in America,” he said in a statement