Lee Conrad

To add insult to injury, these returns didn’t even come cheap. The average expense ratio was more than 1%.

Meet the best of the best in the bank channel. Read about how they approach their jobs, how they serve clients and how they made the list.

Here we conclude with the fourth and final segment of the Top 100 Bank Advisors. You can see all the other rankings (1-75) in our corresponding slideshows.

Here we present the third segment of the Top 100 Bank Advisors. You can see the top 50, as well as those who ranked 76-100, in our corresponding slideshows.

Here is the second segment of the Top 100 Bank Advisors. Check out the top 25, as well as those who ranked 51-100, in separate slideshows.

A well-rounded approach wins the day with the annual advisor ranking. No one-trick ponies allowed, as multiple metrics count toward advisors' scores, including AUM, production, growth and fee business.

Medicare Part B premiums will stay flat next year, but most retirees will still pay more.

Clients should claim their retirement benefits only when other taxable income sources are used up, as their benefits could be taxed if their taxable earnings reach a certain threshold.

Financial advisors can still be held liable for violating impartial conduct standards even though the fiduciary rule has been delayed until 2019.

These eye-popping returns didn’t come cheap. Expense ratios averaged more than 1% and went as high as 158 basis points.

In September, the inflation rate was 2.23%, slightly higher than the proposed Social Security increase. So realistically, recipients "will not be better off at all."

Tax cuts today will increase deficits and future retirees will bear the brunt in reduced Medicare and Social Security benefits, according to one expert.

"Sun and sand are great," says one analyst, but they're not the only considerations. They certainly didn't help boost the top city in this survey.

For a retired military service man, delaying his Social Security would mean he's not subject to the earnings test that can reduce his check by $1 for every $2 he earns over the current threshold of $17,040.

Clients who sock all their savings in a tax-deferred 401(k) plan will owe taxes at a higher rate when the funds are withdrawn in retirement.

Far too many financial advisors overlook home equity as part of a retirement income plan.

The tax plan would make itemized deductions less valuable so some seniors would lose a deduction that covers payments for nursing homes, assisted living or inpatient hospital care.

Emerging markets, value and small-cap funds dominate the list, but other factors need to be considered, as well.

Under the rules, seniors face a tax liability for HSA contributions if they carry health coverage other than the high-deductible policy.

The Roth 401(k) is more flexible than a Roth IRA, and it is funded with after-tax dollars, which can help "diffuse the potential tax bomb."