Financial Planning

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• Cover Story

• Full-Nest Syndrome

  By Suzanne McGee

  With more adult children relying on their parents amid the economic uncertainty - or moving back home - well-laid financial plans could get trampled

• Features

• Impact Investing

  By Gary M. Stern

  Wealthy clients are favoring a different kind of socially responsible investing, focusing on private equity and nonprofit projects

• Columns

Business Consultant

• Game Changers

  By Glenn G. Kautt

  The big question is this: should you make an investment in game-changing products before you really think you need them to grow your business faster, or wait, possibly too long, and be a follower rather than a leader?

Industry Insight

• Goodbye, Old Theory

  By Bob Veres

  Is modern portfolio theory due for an upgrade? Sixty years of real-world input is spawning new ideas from industry thinkers.

The Elite Advisor

• I Write, Therefore I Am

  By John J. Bowen, Jr.

  How do you take yourself and your practice to the next level? In the Internet era of the Information Age, tell your story in the media.

• Industry

• Happy Mediums

  By Donna Mitchell

  It's good to be a custodian these days. Online brokerage giants, including TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab and Fidelity, are taking market share from almost every segment of the financial advisory business — except for RIAs.

Fund Manager

• Small But Potent

  By Ilana Polyak

  Most funds live a life of obscurity. But some offerings, like DGHM AllCap Value, deserve a spotlight.

• Departments

My Word

• Gang of 13

  By Eleanor K.H. Blayney

  The U.S. debt crisis was political theater at its best. All the elements of a Shakespearean drama were there: suspense, the soaring rhetoric, the grand entrances and exits of key protagonists. Unfortunately, however, the final act sent everyone home disappointed. A last-minute bipartisan deal - long expected to resolve the debate and lift the financial markets - did anything but.

The Portfolio

• You Say Potato, I Say Value

  By Joseph Lisanti

  If the lines between value and growth are blurred, how should advisors determine a benchmark?

• Double Plays

  By Donald Jay Korn

  An ever-expanding roster of total return funds take different paths towards their goals of cash flow and asset growth.

• Target Funds: To or Through?

  By Craig L. Israelsen

  Should your clients stay in a target-date fund beyond the target date?

• Is Long-Term Care Insurance Worth It?

  By Joseph A. Tomlinson

  Running a risk analysis can help advisors and their clients figure out if it makes financial sense.

The Practice

• Code of Conduct

  By Donald B. Trone

  Are you benchmarking your practice against a clear fiduciary standard?

• Instinct or Intention?

  By Stephanie Bogan and Natalie Doss

  Hiring the right people can make or break your practice, so you need a formalized process.

• Overqualified, But Right for the Job

  By Sheryl Nance-Nash

  Heavily skilled employees can bring fresh thinking and do more advance work

The Client

• Back in the Game

  By Miriam Rozen

  Decisions about returning to work full-time are financial and emotional. Tread carefully.

• Suddenly Wealthy

  By Scott Schutte

  An unexpected windfall is welcome, but stressful. Here's a plan for helping clients cope.

• Countering Resistance

  By Brad Klontz

  Getting clients to act is not easy, but highlighting the benefits of change should help get results

• Commingled Finances

  By Martha C. White

  Although several states allow same-sex couples to marry, they still face unique planning challenges

• Taking Special Care With Inherited IRAs

  By Ed Slott

  Clients with special-needs children must be careful making plans for passing on their IRAs

• Tough Love

  By Donald Jay Korn

  When a client's income plunges, planners will have to suggest some difficult options

Data

• Asset Magnet

  By Frank O'Connor

  Sales in the variable annuity market started 2011 much the same way it ended 2010 - positively.

• High Net Worth

• Art is an Asset

  By Jenny Sherman

  For love or money, art as an alternative investment can enhance your clients' portfolios.

• Come Together

  By Martin Shenkman

  Estate planning is a critical part of the planning process and ideally should be a group effort, involving attorneys and accountants as well as planners.

Practice Profile

• The Talmud Strategy

  By Jim Grote

  A couple rely on ancient principles to build a thoroughly modern clientele