Financial planning

Asset management firms recorded average profitability of 28% through 2010 and the first half of 2011, according to a new McKinsey report, and independent asset managers will control two-thirds of all assets under management by 2015. Here are five business imperatives successful wealth management firms will need to heed over the next three years:

Every recognized profession has its top colleges. Medical and law schools in the U.S. date back to the 18th century. As a much more recent profession, financial planning has spent much of the last four decades developing its own system of education and professional certification. As many of the current crop of planners near retirement, they don't have to look too far to figure out where the next generation will come from. The answer is in all the schools. Not only has the number of programs been on the rise - up 15% since the past year and a half, according to the CFP Board - but enrollment in the programs themselves has generally been increasing, too. With so many CFP Board-registered programs out there, Financial Planning focused on 10 worthy institutions. We talked to veteran planners and industry leaders to get a sense of which 10 programs belonged in an overview. Our list is not a ranking. Like this survey itself, the information we've gathered is just a starting point. Think of it as Financial Planning Education 101, an introduction.

Krawcheck calls for more diverse perspectives -- not necessarily based on gender or race -- and talks about the importance of appealing to younger investors put off by the struggling economy and Wall Street scandals.

Advisors of the future are gravitating toward financial planning programs. Here are the schools on many students' short lists.

Here are five of the most common scams that advisors and their clients either managed to avoid or fell victim to this year.

Advisors and their investor clients should be on the lookout for these popular scams. According to the North American Securities Administrators Association, here are five of the most common scams that advisors and their clients either managed to avoid or fell victim to this year.

As the parent company announces earnings, the Americas unit sees more net new money and higher FA productivity.

What is the difference between elite practices and other firms? One hint: Seminars are not what they used to be. Cetera Financial Group found out that it’s really more about a firm’s overall approach to marketing. The El Segundo, Calif.-based broker-dealer recently partnered with The Oechsli Institute to survey 352 financial professionals, including elites, in the report “Marketing Tactics of Elite Advisors”. Here are seven marketing tips that will boost your firm’s profile and assets under management.

In our second annual Influencer Awards, Financial Planning honors six advisors whose innovative ideas and wide-reaching work are forging new paths for the planning industry. When the editors of Financial Planning sat down to decide which nominees deserved to win in each category in the magazine's second annual Influencer Awards, we found we had far too many worthy contenders. That was only natural: The financial planning community has consistently turned out smart individuals who strive to bring their best to clients and the profession as a whole. Here’s a look at this year’s honorees:

Celebrities and athletes need tailored estate planning to minimize the risks of being in the spotlight.

To ensure estate planning and tax goals are a good fit, owners of unique assets need a risk management process.

While there may be investing opportunities in the markets, the weak housing market and unemployment hovering just above 9% are the issues that concern the nation and that are depressing the president’s poll numbers. And, voters -- including those without jobs and those who want to look for better ones --are getting mighty impatient.

Opportunities are certain to be abundant for Sallie Krawcheck, the former president of global wealth and investment management at Bank of America Merrill Lynch who was shown the door in a Tuesday evening management shakeup. But can the same be said for the advisors left behind?

For love or money, art as an alternative investment can enhance your clients' portfolios.

Estate planning is a critical part of the planning process and ideally should be a group effort, involving attorneys and accountants as well as planners.

On Tuesday, UBS announced plans to cut 3,500 job worldwide, to save $2.5 billion by 2013. Almost simultaneously, the state of Connecticut found that money talks -- if it wants to keep UBS jobs in its state.