Wealth Think

This week, IRA expert Ed Slott answers questions about Roth IRA conversions and early distribution penalties.

Legacy expert attorneys Andy and Danielle Mayoras say that contrary to preliminary reports, British songstress Amy Winehouse did not have a will in place at the time of her death—an estate planning mistake that advisors and their clients can’t afford to make.

Real estate may be cyclical, but having exposure to real estate — especially commercial real estate — in a portfolio as an alternative source of income can be beneficial. What’s the best way to evaluate whether it makes sense for a client?

Higher hurdles advisors must clear to break into the advisory business are contributing to the aging of the workforce. Here are tips to help rookie advisors get into the field and thrive.

It's that time of year. This week, IRA expert Ed Slott fields a handful of tax questions about investors’ IRA accounts.

Steve Sanduski, The Prosperous Advisor, says advisors who fall victim to confirmation bias could be doing themselves and their clients a great disservice.

Marketing expert Marie Swift says advisors need to be proactive and creative to keep their reservoirs of new business from drying up.

Legacy expert attorneys Danielle and Andy Mayoras say planners with clients whose families are involved in this type of legal struggle over an elderly parent should keep in mind that there are two sides (at least) to every story, and allegations of a parent’s care or finances being compromised are not always easy to prove.

“Is today's pain at the pump tomorrow's barrier to recovery?” asks J.P. Morgan Funds’ Market Strategist Andrew Goldberg. There is a precise quantitative relationship between changes in energy prices and economic growth, with high oil prices impacting GDP. The longer answer to the question is at this moment still uncertain. There are good arguments on both sides regarding the future direction of the price of oil, and hence the duration of pain at the pump and how it could affect the strength of continuing recovery of the US economy.

The advantages of having both an RIA and broker-dealer relationship include ownership of the business while having the support of a full service broker-dealer.