Estate planning

Failure to set up a clear plan may result in children owning the home as tenants-in-common, in equal shares -- typically a recipe for disaster.

Longevity is the X-factor in retirement planning; How working in retirement impacts Social Security; Live a little, your kids will make their own money

What you need to know about IRAs and trusts; The easy solution to our retirement savings crisis; Prepare to retire with a gift annuity

Naming a spouse as the IRA beneficiary is often the default choice and has several advantages. However, other concerns might outweigh the benefits of a spousal rollover.

Families that have advisors are far more likely to have a college savings plan in place, Fidelity study finds.

By using income tax bracket arbitrage, some clients’ families will do better if the tax is paid sooner rather than later.

Merrill Lynch's expanding financial boot camp deepens relationships by helping wealthy clients ensure that the family fortune lasts beyond this generation and the next.

Do you have the best or worst 401(k) plan; 7 deadly sins of retirement; How to avert a Casey Kasem-type drama

These instruments can be very powerful estate planning tools. Here are five situations in which a revocable trust might be helpful for clients.

Both parents and their adult children report they are more comfortable talking to a financial advisor than to one another about planning and wealth transfer issues. Use these 7 tips to boost your firm's offering.

Successful professional women often have specific concerns when it comes to their estates. Be sure you can help address them.

The Federal Housing Administration clamped down further on reverse mortgages, saying it will no longer insure a variant of the product featuring a fixed rate and a line of credit.

Because a trustee will have control over assets, choosing the wrong trustee can thwart a client's best laid plans.

New rules up the ante on estate planning, making it imperative that planners change their tactics.

As advisors work with an increasingly older clientele, it's imperative they arm themselves and their clients with the right documents to prepare for the inevitable.

As business owners prepare to sell, advisors have new opportunities for growth. Here's what you need to know.

A pet trust can dictate the type of care a pet will receive after its owner is gone and supply funds for that care.

While standard charitable remainder trusts can deliver tax benefits, lifelong income and philanthropic satisfaction, specialized versions add control over when the income starts to flow.

As more people live into their 100s -- and as families in which four or five generations overlap become commonplace -- some core elements of financial planning need to change, says one longevity specialist.

Having a long-term horizon for the sale of a business puts the owner in a better position to optimize tax strategies. It's also an opportunity for advisors angling for the investment business a sale will produce.