Practice

Laddering is a good fixed-income strategy that will enable clients to earn higher yields and protect them from rate increases; Plus, how retirees can make money in the sharing economy.

The bond market is sending a warning to the Federal Reserve: a false step could leave the U.S. bogged down in a disinflationary quagmire well into the next decade.

It's not just conventional wisdom, upbeat advisors really can do better, research shows.

The advisor, who worked at U.S. Bank, claimed that he was fired in retaliation for complaining about a co-worker who he felt made unsuitable investments for the advisor's 94-year-old client.

Ways to cut your client's taxes on Social Security benefits. Plus, guidance for reducing a client's tax burden on highly appreciated land, and avoiding IRS penalties and double taxation when contributing too much to retirement accounts.

Some client gifts never lose their value. Event tickets, investment books and personalized items can actually help build stronger relationships.

People are looking at social security more strategically… it's heavily nuanced [and] if you make the wrong decision it has significant implications for the future," Howard Schneider, president, Practical Perspectives.

With retirement savings plans directly in focus, the Labor Department is one step closer to implementing a new fiduciary standard whose scope heartens supporters and troubles critics.

Advisors, brokers and other industry insiders weighed in on the Labor Department's fiduciary proposal, laying out what they say are the benefits and pitfalls of the forthcoming rule.

Fiduciary advocates question the math behind the opponents' estimate, calling it an "Alice in Wonderland report" without backing.