Practice

While some experts say that clients need to brace for a market without the Fed's help by adding cash to their portfolios, others are worried that the rush for cash is already being overdone.

Since Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said that he will terminate the QE2 program in mid-June, what will become of the bull market that saw the S&P 500 nearly double from its 2009 lows?

Franklyn Berkowitz is Director of Retail Financial Services at Astoria Federal. The parent company, Astoria Financial Corporation has assets of $17.7 billion and deposits totaling $11.5 billion in New York. Its 50 full-time FAs serve clients in New York City and its suburbs, an area with a bigger population than 38 states.

Marc Vosen is president and CEO of Key Investment Services, as well as the current president of BISA, the trade association for bank brokerage and bank insurance sales. More communication between advisor and client is key, he says, especially when the customer feels more in the loop.

Joseph F. Coughlin is the founder and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, a multidisciplinary research program created to understand the behavior of the 45 and over population. It considers the role of technology and the opportunity for innovations to improve the quality of life of older adults and their families.

Paul K. Stetter Jr. knows his clients' biggest fear is outliving their savings. Yet, the pragmatic Ephrata, Pa.-based financial advisor doesn't mince words when telling investors how much they'll need for retirement. Helping clients stay focused on saving is how the first vice president at Fulton Financial Advisors ensures he meets clients' best interest, as well as their retirement needs.

W. Scott Dixon, executive VP and financial advisor channel manager of SunTrust Investment Services, and Mark Davis, senior VP of Retirement Solutions at the Wealth Solutions Group at SunTrust Wealth & Investment Management help hundreds of advisors keep clients from losing sleep while planning for their later years. On average, retirees might depend on their investments for 20 or more years after the traditional retirement age of 65. And Dixon and Davis advise a slow, steady and rational way of helping clients invest a sufficient amount to meet their post-retirement financial needs.

We solicited opinions from around the industry with one overarching theme in mind: How can bank advisors better prepare their clients for retirement?

When advisors leave a wirehouse, they take most of their books. But there is still plenty left to dole out, and over the years it adds up.

New spending comes as the bruises to the banks' reputations are still healing.