Financial planning

Estate planning is sometimes a very difficult discussion with clients. instinctively, most people do not relish talking about their own demise, and CPAs equally dislike talking about anything that the client doesn't want to talk about.

In January 1999, a trust set up by Mitt Romney for his children and grandchildren reaped a 1,000 percent return on the sale of shares in Internet advertising firm DoubleClick Inc.

Americans are losing faith in their ability to invest, according to a new study from Hearts & Wallets, a retirement and savings research firm. The study found that more than four in 10 investors (41%) view themselves as "very inexperienced" with investing, up from 27% last year.

Nearly two-thirds of individual investors have at least some confidence in the U.S. capital markets, according to a new survey by the Center for Audit Quality.

I meant to write about the latest corporate-sponsored holiday, National Fight Procrastination Day, when it occurred last Thursday, but I just didn’t get around to it.

The American Institute of CPAs has sent a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee supporting a bill aimed at narrowing the definition of “municipal advisor,” without weakening investor protections.

Nearly half of CFOs don’t anticipate the one-time costs of going public, according to a new survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Free online money management tool PowerWallet has officially hit the market and is designed to help users manage and keep control over their personal finances.

Fifty years after the untimely death of film legend Marilyn Monroe, the courts are apparently still hearing challenges over her estate and her taxes.

Genworth Financial Investment Services, a firm that specializes in helping approximately 1,800 tax and accounting professionals integrate wealth management into their practices, is being renamed Cetera Financial Specialists after being acquired earlier this year.

Find out if offering family office services is right for your firm

Staff members at privately held companies are less likely to receive information from management about how the business is performing than employees at publicly traded companies, according to a new survey.

The Securities and Exchange Commission issued a financial literacy study Thursday confirming earlier studies that U.S. retail investors lack basic financial literacy.

Almost half of parents have no financial plan in place, and nearly 20 percent of parents created a plan only after having children, according to a new poll.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, have used sophisticated estate- planning techniques for more than a decade to minimize taxes and amass at least $100 million for their family outside of their estate.

Our 2012 Wealth Magnets are talking to their financial planning clients more than ever.

The Internal Revenue Service has released a new draft version of Form 706, the Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return.

Employers in a recent survey overwhelmingly said they favor keeping workers past retirement age.

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards has written a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau urging the recently established agency to create a ratings system for financial certifications and designations.

New consulting program will help CPA firms see if wealth management is right for them.