Financial planning

As strategies for charitable giving become more complicated, software can help planners, clients, attorneys and accountants evaluate different options.

How monitoring mutual fund capital-gains distributions and avoiding the surtax can help clients reduce their tax bill for 2014; making charitable donations before Dec. 31 and prepaying state and local taxes for next year.

"You are the captain of your social media and marketing campaign," advisor Lynn Ballou told attendees at the Women Advisors Forum. Here are nine quick tips on how to make the most of your efforts.

One is to check how much you've contributed to your 401(k) plans and IRAs; plus, how to determine the "funded status" of personal retirement plans and the steps to take to ease post-career anxiety.

As strategies for charitable giving become more complicated, software can help planners, clients, attorneys and accountants evaluate different options.

Advisors from Merrill Lynch and Wells Fargo were elected to IMCA's board of directors.

The San Diego-based advisor allegedly participated in private securities transactions that resulted in two elderly investors losing more than $340,000.

Emphasis at the Women Advisors Forum in San Francisco is on smart strategies advisors can use to build their practices and support women in the industry.

"Most advisors are struggling to grow their businesses in a way that is directly impacting their bottom line," says FPA CEO Lauren Schadle. So what are firms that are growing doing right, and what should other advisors be doing differently?

Company founder filled account with stock that wasn't publicly traded and used low values to stay technically under the contribution limit; plus, jumbo-loan challenges for retirees and how to avoid the Medicare surcharge.

Donating a conservation easement can be beneficial both to the environment and to a client's tax bill.

The IRS is being urged to bolster its enforcement efforts on multimillion-dollar IRAs in a new government report that also encourages Congress to provide more direction.

Once a client has made a donation to his or her favored charity, your work has just started. Changes in tax laws, investment values and charitable organizations mean that advisors need to be vigilant.

Understand the most common behavioral financial biases -- and know how to confront them when your clients are trying to sabotage their own portfolios.

The retirement plan industry is evolving rapidly. Here are a few key trends that will help advisors looking to engage in the retirement plan market.

Madison and Omaha are among the top retirement havens; plus the factors retirees should consider in deciding where to retire and what pre-retirees need to do now.

Once a client has made a donation to his or her favored charity, your work has just started. Changes in tax laws, investment values and charitable organizations mean that advisors need to be vigilant.

Want a better way to help staff improve? Here's how to turn the end-of-the-year ritual into an experience that's productive for you and your employees.

Bank and thrift holding companies generated record revenue from their wealth management businesses in the first half of 2014. Here are the top 10 banks whose wealth management programs grew the fastest during this period year-over-year.

When spouses or other family members can't agree on where to donate their money, it's time for some diplomacy.