Financial planning

Which banks shelled out the most for this election? Among the big name firms, here's a list of the top five donors based on data compiled by opensecrets.org, a nonprofit watchdog group that follows campaign donations. Click through to see where Wall Street's money has gone:

Sometimes, in order to lock in the $5 million estate planning tax exemption, clients gift away their “excess” assets. While gifting is good, and even better if you can avoid taxes by doing it, some clients give away too much, and are no longer able to maintain their standard of living in retirement.

While disasters like Hurricane Sandy take away so much and leave but a trail of havoc behind it, the resilience of the people across the nation refuse to be trampled. Within moments, resilient individuals would begin to offer aid to their less fortunate fellows. And yet during this time, it can also be quite confusing for planners to advise clients on the best places to donate money.

The legal challenges raised by clients who are beginning to lose their cognitive acuity or are suffering from dementia-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, can be significant for advisors. Here are some of the top tips for advisors working with clients with dementia.

Your website should tell prospective customers a number of things: services and philosophy, investment methodology, financial planning expertise ... and technological savvy.

Going into November with elections right around the corner, millionaire households listed what was worrying them most in planning for their financial futures.

A catalog of some of the nation's top planning schools is a resource for both planners-to-be and today's advisors

Drawing from the lessons of Robert Cialdini’s book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Todd Colbeck adds his own tips on how bank advisors can apply those lessons to form strong relationships with trust officers.

A 4-step back-up plan was key after being forced from her office and her home.

Financial advisors on the East Coast have solid reasons to be worried about Hurricane Sandy – and even those far from the wreckage should be concerned, too. Advisors’ and clients’ safety rank first, but advisors also have to be concerned about their offices and property, as well as those of their clients’ and their clients’ relatives. As vital as proper insurance coverage is, it often will not cover all losses, nor losses from the disruption of business. How prepared are you and your firm to deal with a major disaster, like Sandy? Far too many advisors have no disaster recovery plan to rely on for times like this. Here are 5 questions to consider regarding you, your firm and your clients after the worst of the hurricane strikes.

With October 15 behind us and April 15 still comfortably far away, it’s a good time to start boning up on ways to save your clients money once things start getting serious.

Marketing is not a one-shot thing. It is about finding a need and filling it over and over again to generate predictable results. Choose one of these action items and grow your business today.

Advisors all desire employees who know what you want even before you speak. While these type of people are typically a needle in a haystack, there are ways to optimize the staff you have already.

Raymond James' annual Women's Symposium in St. Pete, Beach, Fla., in October, offered an opportunity for Raymond James' advisors to hear from the firm's top executives. Select female Raymond James advisors were also recognized with Women of Distinction awards, for their work in their communities and as advisors, and Top Advisor awards, based on their production levels. Here's a look at those winners and other conference highlights.

The worst one-day crash in stock trading took place 25 years ago on October 19. Here's a look back at Black Monday, on its quarter-century anniversary.

As you navigate your way around the future of mobile technology, there are signposts that you must be aware of so as not to make a wrong turn and end up in a perilous situation. Here are four things advisors should watch out for to make the most out of mobile technology.

Not returning calls from a spouse or significant other may land you in the dog house, and the same goes for your million dollar clients. Waiting too long for a callback from an advisor was the number one reason, even more crucial than giving the right advice, that clients went looking for someone Check out the top five, according to research on millionaire clients from Spectrem Group and its subsidiary, Millionaire Corner.

For bank advisors looking to advance their careers, there’s no better news than a promotion or a new job offer. Here’s a sampling of bank reps who were recently promoted or moved to new organizations to assume roles of greater responsibility.

Nearly five years after relocating to Washington, the CFP Board has increased staff and certificants as the organization has actively engaged in the policy debates that will shape the regulatory landscape that impacts the regulatory industry. Check out a photo essay that looks under the hood of this vibrant organization.

As 75 million Baby Boomers stand at the edge of retirement, most will have to look beyond government programs to sustain their standard of living. Here are six things advisors and their clients should be aware of when setting aside income-generating retirement plans.