Wealth Think

Ask Ed Slott: Your IRA Expert answers readers' questions about how to manage and account for excess contributions made to IRAs for tax purposes.

As the trend toward independence continues, the opportunities raise questions from those advisors who are considering making the move. Dynasty Financial Partners' Shirl Penney provides some answers.

Steve Wershing, "The Referral Doctor," says one of the great misconceptions in our business is that clients "give" us referrals. If advisors want to learn how to attract a significant number of ongoing referrals, they must understand the dynamic that causes people to make referrals in the first place.

There has been an ongoing discussion surrounding hedge funds and their ability - or lack thereof - to create jobs. Do they really have the capacity to help the job market? And if they do, what jobs are hedge funds producing?

Ask Ed Slott: Your IRA Expert answers readers' questions about naming contingent beneficiaries for IRAs.

Steve Wershing, "The Referral Doctor," says the client advisory board is every firm's most important tool for gathering detailed client feedback. But to take advantage of this wealth of information, your board's preparation is critical.

As equity markets sputter along at an uneven pace, many investors are looking at alternatives to help manage volatility and potentially generate more predictable income. One alternative investment has been commercial real estate, which during the late '90s and early '00s was an attractive asset class.

Fighting over estates is never pretty. These court battles are emotional, draining, and sometimes downright nasty for everyone involved. When they happen to the estate of a beloved American icon, it's even more tragic.

Ask Ed Slott: Your IRA Expert answers readers’ questions about disclaiming inherited IRA funds and transferring money between IRAs.

There have been more advances in technology for independent advisors in the past decade than there were in the previous 30 years. And the speed of this change is accelerating even faster today, giving advisors more tools to provide even better service to an even larger group of clients.