Financial planning

There are several ways to serve your clients in the financial planning world. No model is wrong or right -- but there are some that may work better than others depending upon the makeup of your firm.

Confidence in the ability to afford a comfortable retirement remains low, according to a new survey, reflecting a growing awareness of the challenges in saving enough money.

Raymond James Financial Services has introduced a new compensation model for independent registered investment advisors.

Cyberattacks, fraud in foreign markets, global economic conditions, M&A plans and the sequester are among the topics that are expected to dominate the discussion at shareholder annual meetings this year, according to a survey by accounting firm BDO USA.

Fewer corporate workers have sufficient cash flow and emergency funds on hand, according to a new survey.

Muddy Waters LLC, whose analyst reports triggered $7 billion in losses for Chinese stocks, used an unlikely secret weapon for its research: the public website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

A roundup of financial planning-related stories from the previous month

Don't let the rewards of investing abroad blind you to the risks -- and vice versa

Will Rogers has been quoted as saying, “The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” Earlier this year, Congress passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which may have prevented us from falling off the fiscal cliff, but further complicated the already complex world of income taxation of estates and trusts.

For years, you’ve been hearing that you should include financial services among your tax or accounting practice’s service offerings.

CPAs have long been sought after as Centers of Influence, or COIs, by members of the financial services profession for many years.

In my consulting activity the last few months of 2012, I saw the emerging symptoms of a new disorder in many family business owners: Post-Traumatic Gift Disorder, or PTGD.

U.S. Tax Court Judge Elizabeth Paris handed the taxpayers a victory last Thursday involving a powerful estate tax planning tool: private annuities.

Kayla J. Gillan, a former deputy chief of staff at the Securities and Exchange Commission and founding member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, has been tapped to lead PricewaterhouseCoopers’ new Investors’ Resource Institute.

The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) has published a consultation report offering recommendations regarding the protection of client assets, to help regulators improve the supervision of intermediaries holding client assets in the aftermath of scandals at MF Global and Peregrine Financial Group.

Highlights from the world of financial planning

The toolkit that I recommend does not exist in a toolbox anywhere, regardless of how consultants and associations try to market their package and products as a "turn-key" practice management system in a box.

Tales of professional athletes facing financial ruin are all too common. Whether it’s squandering millions or getting swindled by shady business and investment consultants, some athletes’ wealth falls as quickly as it rises.

Certain owners of Individual Retirement Arrangements have a limited time to make tax-free transfers to eligible charities and have them count for tax-year 2012, the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday.

G2 FinTech has introduced TaxGopher+ cost basis reporting software for filling out the Form 1099-B.