Financial Planning

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• Cover Story

• Financial Planning Education 101: 10 Standout Schools

  By Danielle Reed

  Advisors of the future are gravitating toward financial planning programs. Here are the schools on many students' short lists.

• Features

• The ABCs of Planner Titles

  By David E. Adler

  FYI, there's a dizzying array of planner names and designations - and no one title describes everything clients want.

• Values-Driven

  By Suzanne Sataline

  Julie Ragatz teaches planners how to make ethical decisions in the workplace and in the marketplace.

• Columns

Business Consultant

• Benchmarking Is Your Yardstick

  By Glenn G. Kautt

  How healthy is your practice? Tracking key metrics and comparing them over time is a vital part of any checkup.

Industry Insight

• The FPA's Dilemma

  By Bob Veres

  Why has the association's membership been slipping the past 11 years? More important, what can we do about it?

The Elite Advisor

• Learn To Let Go

  By John J. Bowen, Jr.

  Dropping less-than-ideal clients will make you more productive and allow you to build a more suitable practice.

• Industry

• The 411 on 401(k)s

  By Donna Mitchell

  Advisors are turning to muckraking firms to get previously undisclosed data on retirement plans.

Fund Manager

• A New Track

  By Ilana Polyak

  Akre Focus pays lots of attention to outside economic forces to avoid being blindsided by another market collapse.

• Departments

My Word

• Unintended Consequences

  By Laurence Barton

  Expanding the fiduciary standard will harm consumers.

The Portfolio

• Volatility, It's Here to Stay

  By Jeff Tjornehoj

  As the market swings wildly, are your clients' portfolios holding their own?

• The Latin Quarter

  By Donald Jay Korn

  Latin American stocks have led their emerging-market peers over the last decade, but can they continue to overachieve?

• Better Than Cash

  By Craig L. Israelsen

  Portfolio diversification isn't only for equities.

• Made-to-Order Indexes

  By Joseph Lisanti

  Index creation is becoming ever more specialized as demand for new ETFs grows unabated.

• Going Into Reverse

  By June Fletcher

  If a reverse mortgage makes sense for your client, it may make sense to apply now in case home prices fall further.

• Unlisted REITs: Caveat Emptor

  By John F. Wasik

  These controversial products promise a high, consistent dividend, but the pitfalls are real.

The Practice

• It's Raining, It's Pouring!

  By Stephanie Bogan

  To prepare for growth, advisors need to build ensemble businesses without losing their entrepreneurial edge.

• Surviving Sanctions

  By Miriam Rozen

  Your practice can rebound even if you've been slapped by the CFP Board.

The Client

• When a Disability Isn't Disabling

  By Ed Slott

  Tax courts frequently deny exemptions for retirement account distributions.

• Barely Covered

  By Donald Jay Korn

  Clients may want to jettison disability insurance, but they'd likely be better off reducing coverage rather than eliminating it.

• Are You Rational?

  By Allan S. Roth

  Planners make mistakes - surprise! - that are wired into the human mind. Test your Mr. Spock quotient.

• Financial Planning, American-Style

  By Karen E. Klein

  Trust is paramount among wealthy immigrants. Expect phone calls on weekends.

Data

• They Can Live With AA+

  By Donna Mitchell

  When volatility gripped the markets, investors decided they would rather stash their savings in government debt, downgrade or no downgrade.

• High Net Worth

Practice Profile

• Successful Transitions

  By Jim Grote

  Linda Lubitz Boone helps affluent clients move forward when their lives are at a crossroads.

• Outcome Pending

  By Martin Shenkman

  Although tax laws are more uncertain than ever, waiting to make estate planning moves could be costly.