Financial planning

Wealth management is poised to benefit significantly from an aging global population and a substantial wealth transfer, a new study from Merrill Lynch shows. But some evidence suggests the industry is unprepared.

We reshuffled the deck from our Top 20 program Manangers to present the best of the list based strictly on increases in team production.

These instruments can be very powerful estate planning tools. Here are five situations in which a revocable trust might be helpful for clients.

Mixing your clients' charitable impulses with your own can have multiple benefits.

How to get "peace of mind" retirement income; Changing insurance plans can reduce premiums; Risks of spending retirement savings too early

Many independent advisors say they consider themselves fiduciaries, even if they aren’t legally obligated to adhere to that standard of care. So why are so many opposed to the DoL's expected proposal?

While equity market performance has helped, RIA firms are also demonstrating smarter company strategy, a recent Charles Schwab study finds.

The riskiest money-market mutual funds will have to let their share prices fluctuate and charge investors withdrawal fees during times of stress under tougher U.S. rules set for adoption this month.

Easy way to increase a nest egg; How divorced clients can boost retirement income; Why 'style drift' matters

Dalton Strategic Investment Services, a smaller broker-dealer firm with almost $1 billion in client assets, has joined Securities America as a super-OSJ.

Both parents and their adult children report they are more comfortable talking to a financial advisor than to one another about planning and wealth transfer issues. Use these 7 tips to boost your firm's offering.

When is it ok to borrow from your 401(k); Picking the best pension payout; Paying long-term care with HSA money

Roughly three in four advisors said they were likely to seek out additional support, content or tools related to Social Security in the next year.

Successful professional women often have specific concerns when it comes to their estates. Be sure you can help address them.

The deal with newly launched Global Retirement Partners is a "great opportunity to add scale," says LPL exec Bill Morrissey.

Positive actions like increases and initiations hit a 35-year high for the first half, but payouts are still below the historical average.

Considering alternatives to retiring; Managing an old 401(k); What to do when retirement accounts are maxed out

Immediate annuities surge, but lag other types; Never too late to plan; Different opinions on 4% rule

What's driving this new interest? Follow the money: U.S. retirement assets totaled $23 trillion in the first quarter of this year.

High-risk behaviors put investments at risk; Theme songs for retirement; Right (and wrong) questions for clients