Financial planning

Brad Bueermann of FP Transitions says you should go with the right fit when buying or selling an advisory business.

‘Dare to be vulnerable,’ planner advises colleagues at FPA conference.

Most advisors agree that having a defined and effective communications plan is critical, but far fewer give themselves a top rating for having such a plan. Here are five steps advisors can take to improve their client communications.

Social Security's strict disability rules; How to invest when the world is in chaos; New singles majority is bad news for Social Security

New online advisory services are turning up the heat for advisors. Know how to arm yourself.

Advisors can help clients achieve foreign diversification in their portfolios by buying U.S.-listed companies with major overseas footprints. Is it enough?

Advisors must carefully examine what countries and types of companies are in various indexers’ emerging and frontier market baskets.

Indian stocks have been on a tear this year amid optimism about the country’s new government, but political uncertainty and rich valuations should give investors pause.

"One thing we can tell you is our opposition was there before us," says FPA's director of advocacy. "We heard over and over again the argument that if a fiduciary standard were extended to broker-dealers the middle market would be hurt."

A new classification system from Morningstar is intended to help advisors and investors better identify, compare and analyze these active exchange-traded products.

Small businesses can turbocharge their retirement plans; The gift of a retirement account is a lifetime asset; Why Americans keep treating their 401(k) plans like a piggy bank

Advisors must understand one of the newest trends in philanthropy: Giving away illiquid assets.

Some managers may out-perform short-term, but "you can't tell good luck from good skill, or bad luck from bad skill," the Nobel winner says.

Many parents are not saving enough for their children thanks to their own unpaid student loan debts, according to new study from the CFP Board.

Currencies can offer investors high returns, but advisors should be aware of the dangers of buying equity and currency assets from the same place.

Want to know what matters most to the people who make your business run? Here’s how to set up a panel to get better client feedback.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will probably use emergency court action to stop state and local governments from selling municipal bonds if it thinks their offerings are fraudulent, an enforcement division official told bond lawyers meeting here.

DoL projects federal estate tax exemption could reach $5.43 million by 2015; Limits on tax-free lifetime gifts projected to rise for 2015; Backdoor tax increases may hit investors

As competition for talent increases, the best way for RIA firms to hold onto top-tier employees is to make it worth their while. Schwab's 2014 RIA Benchmarking Study highlights three major steps toward building a good compensation plan.

The broker-dealer giant has acquired a 51% interest in electronic services firm Docupace Technologies.