Wealth management

Celebrity heirs fighting over the estate is far from uncommon but it is unusual when an ugly court battle starts before the celebrity even dies. That certainly has been the case with the Dennis Hopper estate.

No, it can’t be. Has the 15-year saga started by Anna Nicole Smith, as she tried to get money from the estate of her deceased husband, really come to an end?

Last year was a good one for registered investment advisors, according to the 2011 RIA Benchmarking Study from Charles Schwab, the largest focused solely on RIAs.

A new study to be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, has found that when people are reminded of money, they respond differently and mimicking can backfire and make establishing a relationship and a sense of trust even more difficult for financial advisors.

In the second of a two-part series, Adam Moseley, managing director of Schwab Advisor Services' technology consulting group, talks about the benefits of making your client relationship management (CRM) system the command center of the entire RIA operation.

Clients who serve as trustee of an insurance trust may get more than they bargained for if the life policy is not performing.

A new chapter of estate planning begins after a client passes on.

What do you tell the 55-year-old who's burned out but looking at another 15 to 20 years of work?

In the first of a two-part series, Adam Moseley, managing director of Schwab Advisor Services' technology consulting group, explains how RIAs can get the most out of their IT investments.

If your clients have money in retirement accounts they won’t need to live on, they can put that money into a Roth IRA and avoid paying taxes on any gains. Now, grandkids can inherit up to $5 million tax free.

Zsa Zsa Gabor, who appeared in dozens of movies and television shows throughout a career that spanned five decades, is approaching the end. Sadly, her final days are surrounding by fighting between her husband of 25 years and her only daughter.

I guess if you wait long enough, everything that once was will come back to us again. Even the bad stuff.

Legal controversy has surrounded the Estate of Michael Jackson ever since he died almost two years ago. Trial & Heirs did a year in review article last year; it’s almost time for year two. You can now add a new lawsuit — over $17.5 million worth of insurance — to the list.

Farrah Fawcett, dying from cancer, floated in and out of consciousness and needed a full-time nurse when Ryan O’Neal interceded to appease NBC and make sure a documentary about Fawcett’s struggle with cancer aired in time for the May sweeps period. At least, that’s the picture painted in a recent New York Times article.

Financial Planning’s 2011 ranking of the biggest independent broker-dealers

On Friday, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund announced an expanded consultation service and series of seminars on strategic giving of C- and S-Corp stock, restricted stock, limited partnership interests, real estate and other privately held assets.

Even multi-millionaires lose sleep over whether their homes will retain their value and whether they can retire.

Agreements, deeds and leases are not core estate planning tools, but may have unexpected opportunities or traps.

Divorce can have devastating financial consequences if you're not prepared.

National Advisors Trust revamps its board of directors with a trio of new members and the appointment of a new chairman.