Financial planning

In the third installment of the results of Accounting Today and Cetera Financial Specialists' "Seeking Success" survey, we examine the obstacles accounting firms have faced in launching financial planning and wealth management practices.

Consider a different way of funding future generations

Why serve the individual, when you can serve the whole family?

1st Global, a research and consulting partner to CPA and wealth management firms, said it is launching CPA Wealth Enterprise, a newsletter that educates and informs readers about developments, trends and insights regarding comprehensive wealth management.

Nearly a third of consumers who work with financial advisors confess they have not told their advisors critical information that could affect their finances, according to a new survey.

A majority of large U.S. corporate pension plans were underfunded at the end of 2012, but Fitch Ratings said Thursday it believes funding levels at mid-year have improved with recent discount rate increases and strong equity market performance.

Research shows what drove accounting firms to start offering financial planning services

A roundup of financial planning news from the previous month

You want to be the head coach of your clients' advisors

Last month’s Supreme Court decision in U.S. v. Windsor held section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional.

There’s more to estate planning than simply trying to minimize taxes under the provisions of a will and various trusts, as criticism over the will of the late James Gandolfini attests. A number of estate experts have weighed in the provisions of the will, which was filed last week in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court.

The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a new rule Wednesday to implement a JOBS Act requirement to lift the ban on general solicitation or general advertising for certain private securities offerings for business startups, while also adopting rules to discourage fraudsters from touting the investments and to add new protections for investors.

Only 14 percent of capital markets executives at leading investment banks believe the JOBS Act is having a positive impact on increasing the number of IPOs on U.S. exchanges, according to a new survey by BDO USA.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s custody rule governing investment advisors’ custody of client assets imposes various requirements and, in turn, costs on investment advisors, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

The Financial Planning Coalition submitted a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission saying it would "vigorously oppose" attempts to weaken the fiduciary standard for broker-dealers and submitted research showing a client-first standard does not limit advice to “mass market” clients.

Nearly 70 percent of people in the Millennial generation have no retirement plan, according to a new survey.

A new research program aimed at uncovering the secrets of success for CPA financial planners

How much should an advisor give away in a social setting before suggesting that an inquirer pay for such information? More broadly, how should planners respond effectively when an acquaintance, friend or relative seeks free advice - or even asks to become a paying client?

Almost half of CPAs indicated that they offer some kind of financial planning services, but a far smaller number have a formally structured practice with their own Registered Investment Advisor or an affiliation with an outside broker/dealer or RIA, according to a new study.

Members of Generation X are having the most difficulty meeting their household expenses and dealing with other financial obligations, according to a new study by PricewaterhouseCoopers.