Elizabeth Wine

Planners thinking of retirement often seek young partners to share the business. But such pairings can be tricky to pull off.

While the Supreme Court wrestles with the issue of whether the federal government should recognize gay marriages, advisors should not let married gay and lesbian clients wait on the sidelines for a decision, estate lawyers say.

Investors are showing a bit more willingness to step out and take on a bit more risk with equities, despite the worrying headline du jour.

Many LGBT investors have a false sense of security about the issue of gay marriage and do not appreciate its effect on their own financial future, a ccording to a Wells Fargo survey,

Experts are banking on continued strong performance and cash flows from real estate investment trusts.

Debt casts a big shadow in the minds of most Wall Street thinkers’ as they make their 2013 forecasts, and Jim Swanson of MFS Investments warns investors not to take the complacent view of “well, we’re a lot better off than Greece and Italy.”

Investors who have saved more than $250,000 towards retirement feel more confident and are more willing to take the risks of putting their money to work in the stock market than their peers with a smaller nest egg, according to a new survey from Wells Fargo.

Despite the volatility of the last few years and the continued economic malaise in much of the developed world, global stocks are still attractive, according to executives at Morgan Stanley.

“Advisors talk about Black Swan events and tail risk – you didn’t hear retail planners talking about tail risk 10 years ago, or if you did it was the top 1% of the group. Now, it’s the new nomenclature,” said Jeff Montgomery, head of AFAM/Innealta Capital.

Among investors aged 21 to 50, 72% report that saving for retirement is their top financial goal, a priority applauded by T. Rowe Price’s resident retirement guru, senior financial planner Christine Fahlund, but most investors are unwilling to take on the necessary risk to improve their retirement savings.