Wealth management

Trust and customer service are the most important reasons why clients opt to work with registered investment advisors, according to TD Ameritrade’s latest RIA survey.

Soon after the tragic news of Steve Jobs' death broke, people began wondering what would become of the Apple co-founder and innovator extraordinaire's fortune. Forbes recently estimated Jobs’ wealth at $7 billion. According to legacy expert attorneys Andy and Danielle Mayoras, it appears Jobs had his estate planning act together.

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.

The director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute discusses how financial advisors can best serve baby boomers.

Whether it's simple or not, retirement plans are suddenly important to small business owners.

Taxpayers Beware: Gifts to charities have come under IRS scrutiny.

Schwab Advisor Services is launching a multi-million dollar marketing and education campaign aimed at promoting the registered investment advisor (RIA) sector in an effort to differentiate the channel from other, more traditional models in the eyes of affluent investors.

Last week’s deal between The Colony Group and Focus Financial Partners is just the latest in what’s turned out to be a very busy merger and acquisition period for registered independent advisor firms. Here's a look at this year's five-largest deals:

While it’s still unclear as to whether The Colony Group and Focus Financial Partners union announced last week is the largest merger by assets under management completed in the RIA space so far this year, one thing is certain: the deal is sophisticated and accomplishes strategic and financial goals for both firms at the same time.

Orion Advisor Services unveiled the latest release for it Advisor Desktop portfolio management suite for RIAs on Monday with new features designed to make it easier for advisors using the primary database management tool to rebalance their clients’ portfolios and create tax efficient strategies at the household level.

Schwab's Advisor Services division has developed a suite of new resources to help financial advisors navigate the legal and regulatory issues that arise when making the transition to an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) practice.

An auction of the deceased actor’s memorabilia, clothes and other property recently garnered more than $1 million but none of his five children, including actress Jamie Lee Curtis, have yet to receive a dime. And, from most indications, that’s exactly the way the “Some Like It Hot” star wanted it.

Celebrities are not the only ones to make mistakes with their estate planning. It happens to people all across the country on a regular basis. According to legacy expert attorneys Andy and Danielle Mayoras, one of the most common estate planning mistakes that people make is joint ownership.

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.

Charles Schwab Advisor Services announced a new business, Schwab Intelligent Technologies, marking a milestone in the company’s initiative to deliver integration solutions for registered investment advisors.

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?

Now almost 30 years old and seemingly back at the top of her game, why would the pop superstar still need her father to serve as her conservator? One company claims it’s simply a ploy to duck a deposition in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.