Client strategies

Changes in both demographics and tax laws require a massive rethinking of estate planning strategies. Here are a few of the minefields that planners should avoid.

Nearly 60% of retirees started collecting Social Security before they reached full retirement age, reducing benefits by as much as 30%, according to a survey.

Couples with nontraditional family relationships need planning that is anything but straightforward, says planner Pamela Sandy.

While some retirees work even after they are financially secure, a full 46% would have retired four years early if they could have afforded it; Plus, cookie cutter solutions won't do.

New research finds that advisors can play a critical role in alleviating some of boomers' retirement anxiety -- even if they may underestimate how long it takes to build client trust.

Wells Fargo's Mary Mack says advisors should embrace technology as the online retailer and companies like Apple and Uber have changed client expectations.

As older clients start drawing down their wealth, the industry needs younger investors to ensure its future, says Janney Montgomery Scott CEO Timothy Scheve.

The newest generation of up-and-coming investors will cause a paradigm shift in the development and delivery of services and products to meet their unique needs. Is your firm ready?

Professionals like doctors and lawyers often face extra-high debt loads, special needs and an array of tough choices. Here are a few repayment strategies that your clients should consider.

As an advisor, you're not necessarily obligated to vote proxies for client portfolios. But you must make sure your policy is articulated clearly. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

The overall retirement system in the U.S. works, but a few improvements are necessary as people need guidance on how to grow their savings, experts say; Plus, the steps retirees need to take in order to live comfortably and not outlive their money.

In a Financial Planning webinar last week, listeners got some great ideas from a all-star team of practice management experts: Commonwealth Financial's Joni Youngwirth, Fidelity Investments' David Canter and Christine Gaze of Purpose Consulting Group.

Lessons learned by Laura Banasiewicz when she helped care for her aging father, as well as her husband's parents, gave her a deeper appreciation for issues her clients face.

When recently polled, U.S. high-net-worth clients gave their advisors a grade of C-.

Once the ink on the marriage license is dry, couples should make a series of moves to protect both themselves and their finances.

Hemington Wealth Management's focus on high-earning professional women has helped the firm more than double its AUM in a year and a half. See what these clients really need from advisors.

More workers than ever are staying on the job well into their seventies, which will make the U.S. a "very different place" for the next 30 years; Plus, Why an empty nest can be hazardous to a client's retirement.

Household wealth in the U.S. increased from October through December by the most in a year as stock prices advanced to an all-time high at the end of 2014.

A forced convalescence impels a top wealth management executive to practice some fundamental principles that he was usually too busy to perform.

The U.S. has a record 10.1 million millionaire households, a Spectrem Group study shows.