Donald Jay Korn

With a Roth IRA conversion and a precise recharacterization, a client can report the right amount of income to fill up a low tax bracket each year.

Higher taxes on long-term capital gains may revive interest in like-kind exchanges of investment property.

Instead of converting a traditional IRA to one Roth IRA, convert to two or more Roth IRAs, by asset class or by individual securities.

Clients’ desire for principal protection plus profit potential has benchmark-based products booming.

As retail funds for alternative investments become more widespread, planners must explain their purpose in a portfolio.

MLPs offer high yields plus tax advantages, but advisors need to drill down to deliver those tax breaks without the headaches.

Rolling redemptions offer reinvestment opportunities in longer-term, presumably higher-yielding bonds.

Because excess capital losses can be carried forward to future tax returns, with no expiration date, clients can use this “bank” of losses to offset future net capital gains.

Patience is prudent when it comes to Social Security.

As real estate recovers, non-listed REITs are soaring, but they haven’t been much of a hit with customers of Merrill Lynch.

Foreign stocks generally pay higher dividends and offer great sector diversity for investors hunting yields, says Philip Camporeale of J.P. Morgan Asset Management. But beware the tax hit.

While the use of ETFs continues to surge, their low expense ratios appear to be most prized by multi-millionaires, according to a study by Spectrem Group.

Mike Boosel of Baird turned a part-time teaching gig, helping seniors learn about retirement planning, into a lucrative source of clients.

With minimal impact on current tax rates and the potential for tax-free withdrawals as they age, Roth 401(k) plans are catching on with the young and not-at-all-wealthy.

Specific rules govern how a 401(k) beneficiary designation is changed, and an advisor’s failure to help a client comply fully could send his or her hard-earned money to unintended recipients.

The current market bodes well for certain sectors of stocks that have historically outperformed in rising rate environments, says a new Lord Abbett study.

Detroit’s bankruptcy filing means it’s time for advisors to reassess their holdings, says Warren Pierson, lead manager of Baird’s intermediate-term municipal bond fund, but not to over-react to what is sure to be a panicked client base.

Smaller signing bonuses and shorter contract terms are on their way, says recruiter Mark Elzweig, and an aging advisor population is to blame.

A new study shows that the current yield environment could leave retirees badly underfunded.

A study by the Congressional Budget Office counteracts longstanding conventional wisdom that retirees should hold at least some of their portfolio in annuities