Financial planning

Thomson Reuters has published the 2012 edition of its Estate Planning Guide to help accountants, lawyers, estate planners, trust officers and financial advisors market the estate services at their firms.

Fifty-six percent of workers plan to work past age 65 and 54 percent said they plan to continue working after they retire, according to a recent survey.

The New York State Society of CPAs said the Internal Revenue Service should provide safe harbor guidelines for transferring property from one irrevocable trust to another, a process known as a trust decanting.

Financial advisors believe traditional diversification and portfolio construction techniques need replacement, and are questioning the relevance of time-honored asset allocation strategies that rely on a 60/40 mix of stocks and bonds and long-term, buy-and-hold approaches, according to a new study.

Private equity firms are helping with employment growth, according to a new survey by accounting firm McGladrey LLP.

The New York State Society of CPAs has written to the Internal Revenue Service asking for a simplified method of electing deferral of U.S. taxation on Canadian Registered Retirement Savings Plans.

While most people may be concentrating on saving for retirement, putting their kids through college, or buying that second home, they must also take the time to evaluate their risk management portfolio.

The American Institute of CPAs has written a letter to the leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee asking them to amend the Tax Code to allow estates and nongrantor trusts to fully deduct the cost of complying with the fiduciary duties of administering estates and trusts.

Employees are becoming more proactive and less reactive with respect to their finances, particularly with retirement planning, according to a new survey.

Financial matters are the most common source of disagreement among American couples, prompting an average of three arguments per month, according to a survey conducted for the American Institute of CPAs by Harris Interactive.

Pyrite is a mineral that, unfortunately for some prospectors, was thought to be gold but turned out to be worthless.

The Social Security Administration is providing an online version of taxpayers’ Social Security statements.

Private equity firm managers anticipate a greater number of acquisition deals for the rest of this year, in a dramatic turnaround from their sentiments last November.

Nearly half of hedge fund managers foresee a difficult year ahead for the sector, according to a survey by accounting firm Rothstein Kass.

A roundup of news on financial planning

Wherever the economy is going, your clients need to think ahead

The challenge of delivering a decent return to a client is compounded when the client has strong opinions about how their money should be invested.

It’s been awhile since serious consideration has been given to estate tax reform, but with the Jan. 1, 2013 deadline looming, more people are offering their views on the subject.

Two leaders of the House Financial Services Committee have introduced bipartisan legislation to provide more effective oversight of investment advisers.

A new study suggests that taxpayers may be willing to accept a larger share of the larger share of the burden required to reform the Social Security system as their concern about the future sustainability of the Social Security worsens, but only when there are high levels of concern.