Wealth Think

Even with a law separating commercial banking from investment banking and insurance, Editor Lee Conrad doesn't believe we’re prepared to leave the big, systemically important companies out in the cold in times of trouble.

Ed Slott, Your IRA Expert, examines IRA rollover and when a trust is named an IRA beneficiary.

While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there just seems to be a lot of noise “out there” as people in general and financial advisors in particular grapple with Twitter etiquette, Facebook do’s, and LinkedIn don’ts. Marketing Maven Marie Swift demystifies the art to using social media to build relationships and to amplify your voice.

The advisory industry has been fretting about the impending tsunami of retiring advisors in the coming years for some time. As a result, firms are assembling succession programs as a way to ease the transition of client assets from older advisors to the much younger set.

What is your client experience like? The "Referral Doctor," Steve Wershing, asks, have you designed it to be like a fast food chain, or a high-end dining establishment?

Advisors report that annuities are requested by clients more than any other unsolicited product, according to a new study from Cerulli Associates.

During the first presidential debate, a Yahoo Finance poll found that 80% of voters believed Mitt Romney gave a stronger performance than President Obama. Blogger Jesse Marrus writes that among the praise and critiques of both candidates, one important question has emerged: what will happen to Wall Street if Romney wins in November?

Facebook is the world’s largest social network with more than 800 million active users. That is a lot of potential clients. However, Facebook presents some unique challenges to client acquisition, according to Craig Faulkner.

The June 2012 issue of Financial Planning included a controversial column from industry expert, author and instigator, Bob Veres. It launched such a vigorous debate that an entire session was dedicated to continuing the conversation at the FPA annual conference in San Antonio, Texas on Monday.

With more and more Baby Boomers living longer and the senior population increasing faster than younger generations, we are entering the age of longevity. It's crucial that advisors help clients plan for this new chapter, said Louise Schroeder, a financial advisor and owner of Personal Financial Solutions, Inc.