Lee Conrad

First Trust’s Jim Bowen reminded attendees at BISA's annual conference last week just how good American life can be, offering a can-do attitude that advisors need to adopt.

The normal mantra these days for Social Security strategy is to delay as long as possible. But some clients would be better off filing early, including those who have high debt or those who do not expect to live on their retirement benefits.

Advisors with 200 to 300 clients over-performed more so than peers with bigger sales territories, according to a new study by LPL and Kehrer Bielan.

Banks have nothing but upside potential in front of them with robos as part of their offering — as long as they act soon and do everything right.

The math works: Banks get a boost to their growth plans, while independent advisors get one more option for their succession planning.

Benefit are usually expected to replace about 40% of their pre-retirement income, but that's an average, so many people will get even less. The question is: how much less?

Trump’s call for tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and subsequent worries of a trade war, have recently taken a toll on emerging markets investments.

Many taxpayers can expect a lower tax bill under the new law and should consider adjusting their withholding to put the money to good use.

Traditional wisdom says that bonds and stocks complement each other, but this is not always the case, especially when a reduction in valuations occurs.

The new tool will incorporate analysts’ past decisions and data, and extend their approach to funds not currently covered.

The research found that claimants were not told they could take widow or widower's benefits while delaying their own retirement benefits, which would allow those checks to increase.

A survey found that 27% of parents who cosigned for their children's college education end up paying off the debt with their retirement savings.

Commodities, which boomed before the crash, weighed heavily on returns the past 10 years.

The contributor was recently called to be an expert witness and realized that defending a retirement plan in court can provide a good opportunity to better understand a portfolio.

Working seniors who intend to start collecting Social Security benefits in the middle of the year should know about the monthly earnings test.

Growth funds have performed best over the past decade, outpacing value funds.

Taxation of retirement plan distributions and Social Security benefits remains unchanged under the new tax law, but retirees are likely to see an increase in after-tax income.

The proposed budget includes a provision that would give Medicare recipients the option to contribute to a health savings account, which would offer various tax benefits.

Although smaller companies could be volatile, those that pay dividends tend to be more mature and profitable.

Both long and short investments focused on volatility were mostly crushed lately.