Practice

Yesterday, you carved out time on your calendar to network. Now, it’s time to pick up the phone and start dialing.

The Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index gained some traction after a big decline in November.

“It’s a good time to be an advisor,” said IRA Expert Ed Slott. “There’s a tremendous opportunity now because you have certainty.”

The impact of last week’s tax accord in Congress -- officially known as the American Tax Relief Act of 2012 -- is likely to be far wider and more complex than many have imagined. And many of these complexities will directly impact financial advisors.

Wall Street brokers who are lured to new firms with signing bonuses of at least $50,000 would be required to tell their clients under a rule proposed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

In the wake of the newly-passed American Tax Relief Act of 2012, it’s likely many wealthy clients will continue to make large family gifts. If they are giving away hard-to-value assets, they might consider following a tactic from the Wandry case, decided by the Tax Court in 2012.

Tax forms from the federal government and many states may be delayed in the aftermath of the fiscal cliff legislation, one of the largest tax preparation chains warned.

Blogger Craig Faulkner says he is tired of hearing people his age talk about how confusing all the new technology is. He is convinced that most advisors are more intimidated by the idea of technology than by the technology itself. Check out three tricks to help you get the jump on all of the new data, devices, and demands they make on your brain and your time.

The last-minute tax deal cobbled together in Washington contained several key elements for estate planning. Now advisors can break the good news to wealthy clients:

If you want to grow your practice, you need to get your lead generation efforts in shape. That means making time for networking.