Financial planning

Over the past 50 years, dividends of the S&P 500 have grown an average of 5.7% a year, outpacing the average inflation rate of 4.1%; Plus, how Social Security could be used by the government to address retirement inequality.

Alejandro Ariel Torres allegedly cheated a customer out of nearly $60,000 in a start-up scheme that purportedly made the client a 50/50 partner. Torres was ordered to make the customer whole.

To keep your best advisors and other employees on board, you'll need invest strategically in the right people, offering them a rewarding career path.

The more money elderly high-net-worth clients have, the more they may worry that beneficiaries won't use it wisely.

Only one-third of wealthy clients say their advisors are talking with them about planning for longevity risk, according to a new U.S. Trust study.

Taxes matter in fund investing, even when there's no bill. Plus: Knowing the difference in costs on 401(k) and IRA withdrawals, and what to do after tax season.

New digital tools are paving the way for advisors to create hybrid services that will increase both reach and profitability. See a few of the newer options.

Clients give up access to their money with annuities, so they are advised to use only a portion of their savings in these products; Plus, they should activate a fraud alert if they think their Social Security number has been compromised.

Co-sponsor of legislation to derail Labor Department's fiduciary proposal admits that the bill's greatest goal is to put political pressure on the administration.

Discussions about cognitive impairment and end-of-life issues might be difficult, but they need to happen, and could yield an upside for the advisor's practice.

Guide Financial, which counted among its advisors Esther Stearns, former head of Nestwise -- a now-shuttered LPL venture aimed at middle-class clients -- is the latest technology provider to be acquired.

The top lawyer of Goldman Sachs Group’s asset management unit is leaving the bank to become the top aide to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White, the agency said Wednesday.

Fewer than 14,000 American households received 5.6% of adjusted gross income in 2012, according to data released by the IRS that underscore the increasing concentration of income.

In all, 81% of advisors surveyed said they used or recommended ETFs versus 78% who used or recommended mutual funds, according to an annual FPA survey.

Trust is integral to any advisor-client relationship -- but what happens when clients hold back information that's critical to their financial health?

Clients are advised to name a beneficiary and back-up beneficiary of their accounts, and designating a trust is a good option if there are children from a previous marriage; Plus, how to prepare for a long retirement.

Surviving spouses will require hands-on help from their advisors to get important tasks done -- before and after a loved one's death.

Surviving spouses will require hands-on help from their advisors to get important tasks done -- before and after a loved one's death.

Richard Ketchum voices support for SEC to move on a uniform fiduciary standard for brokers and advisors, while warning of unintended consequences from DoL's proposal.

Put affluent clients' annual contributions into an IRA and then convert it to a Roth on the same day, says Aspiriant's Ray Edwards.