Wealth Think

Ask Ed Slott, Your IRA Expert, examines the question, if your client was fired, can they continue to contribute to a Roth IRA?

Late night comedian David Letterman joked, “Everybody is talking about the fiscal cliff. And I'd be talking about the fiscal cliff too, if I knew what the hell it was.” Your clients and prospects are probably just as worried, and twice as confused.

The Jones’s are alive and well, and keeping up with them just got more expensive.

Year-end plan reviews are the perfect time to demonstrate your value and address any concerns your plan sponsor clients may have, Bob Kaplan, ING U.S.’s National Retirement Consultant, told advisors during a webinar.

The fiscal cliff. Deteriorating fundamentals. Volatility. Is the market about to fall? There is always uncertainty, but the question remains: How will you keep your clients happy when the next bear market comes?

Few Wall Street professionals were thrilled about the implementation of Dodd-Frank and other forms of regulation. But it seems to have been a blessing for those who specialize in compliance.

After a decade filled with significant market declines and an increasing amount of volatility, it is safe to assume that many investors would like to find the best performing investment managers with the least amount of volatility. Today, if investing were compared to a roller coaster, it would be the scariest roller coaster that Great Adventure has to offer. However, many investors would be more comfortable with an investment experience more akin to the teacups at the county fair.

No matter who you are, interviewing for a job can be stressful, but why? There are a few reasons and the stress makes sense when you analyze them.

Ed Slott, Your IRA Expert, examines the question of whether or not it is acceptable to convert an IRA to a Roth IRA and leave it to grandchildren, who are minors.

It’s a well-worn a cliché, mostly used in association with professional team sports and meant to convey a cutthroat but fundamental reality: You’re only as good as your last game. It may be harsh, but such is the nature of professional sports, a world where high-stakes games are played by extremely wealthy, though frequently unsophisticated young men who all too often have a meteoric rise to stardom, only to have it be accompanied by a sudden, abrupt fall from grace.