Opinion News from Financial Planning

Every independent RIA has unique access to one niche: the prospects in their own ZIP code. Smart advisors can turn that information into a community-based customer pool.

Scary good voice cloning technology means advisors can no longer believe what — or more accurately, who — they're hearing on the phone. Rigorous verification protocols are the new key to gaining client trust.

Bad things can happen when advisory firm employees experiment with shiny new AI applications. An innocent "test drive" could trigger data breaches and compliance snafus.

Big aggregators could feel the heat if private equity continues to fund $500M to $1B-AUM firms.

Bankruptcies at First Brands and Tricolor should be a wake-up call for banks exposed to the private credit market. Banks should treat indirect lending to shadow banks as a high-risk activity that demands active oversight.

An expert adviser explains the many considerations to take into account before deciding on this as an option for employees.

A penny-ante approach to allocating digital assets may not be as risk-averse as it sounds.

How charitably inclined taxpayers can use donor-advised funds and other tax strategies to get ahead of the OBBBA's revised rules on charitable deductions.