Demographics

An analysis shows low-income clients get more back from the benefit program than the payroll taxes they paid, while high-earning workers get less.

Two planners spell out the common psychological biases that prevent clients from maximizing their benefits.

One idea is to ensure clients are investing the right types of assets in the right accounts to take full advantage of appreciation and tax-exempt status when possible.

Failed marriages for aging baby boomers has doubled, forcing them to work longer and impacting financial planning, sometimes in the wrong way.

They seem to be everywhere, but there is every reason to believe that clients overwhelmingly still want to deal with human beings.

Many millennials feel their parents can provide them good financial advice, but they are reluctant to seek help from elders, as well as from financial professionals.

By leveraging new technology, advisers find new ways to reach their clients from across the globe, as well as here at home.

Changing the business model for younger clients starts with innovative technology and digital solutions combined with holistic, unbiased, guided advice.

These kids "are making bad choices, but they don’t realize it because everybody around them is making bad choices, too," says this fee-only adviser who specializes in advising members of the armed services.

More than 80% of women in the advisory business find the old boys’ network undercuts their professional development.

Retirees may want to roll over a portion of their traditional IRA into a Roth IRA or use their IRA funds to buy a qualified longevity annuity contract.

"We're moving to a subscription economy," says Motif CEO Hardeep Walia. "There are subscriptions for almost anything — music services, health care — why not investing?"

Most respondents to an informal survey said they view Social Security as an income stream rather than as an asset. At least one expert disagrees.

Clients who turned 70 1/2 this summer have to act fast on their distributions to avoid paying a hefty penalty to the IRS. Plus, giving away stocks versus selling them.

Some worry that hiring interns will be too costly or time consuming.

The surge of women in the workforce in the 1970s and 1980s means that they have job skills, connections and careers that they can continue to pursue, says Ben Steverman.

To really come out ahead from delaying Social Security, a client has to live past 80. Otherwise, it's probably better to take a reduced benefit earlier.

Some bright spots for advisers: A surprising number of boomers have not begun saving yet for retirement; and millennials will need decades of advice.

A proposed 22.3% increase in Medicare Part B premiums, if approved, will automatically be deducted from retirees' monthly checks.

It begins with recognizing that this is a critical investment for succession planning and cultivating the next generation of clients.