The house, set in 12 acres of garden in Regent's Park, has served as an elegant soft-power asset for America in Britain since 1955.

ECONOMIST: The nicest house in London

More generally, the new policy will focus the EU's biggest asset: its soft power.

ECONOMIST: The EU could make a real difference in Ukraine

In the institutional marketplace, strange as it may seem, it is possible for a money manager to profit more from soft dollars than from the negotiated asset management fee he receives.

FORBES: Pensions and Brokerage: The Brokerage Battlefield Revisited (October 1, 2000)

Massachusetts Financial Services, an asset manager, has banned soft-dollar commissions (opaque kickbacks from brokers).

ECONOMIST: American securities regulation

So Turkish strength, in terms of hard power, of soft power, in terms of economic relations, is an asset for any American administration.

BBC: Which direction for Turkey now?

Consultants, who advise clients on asset allocation and manager selection, as well as educate their advisory clients on brokerage matters such as soft dollaring and commission recapture, are not required to be licensed as brokers or registered as investment advisors.

FORBES: Investment Consultants: It's Time to Clearly Define Their Role (June 1, 1995)