Wealth management

SunGard and iShares are partnering on a system that will allow advisors and third-party administrators to incorporate exchange-traded funds as a standard option in retirement plans.

A new downloadable e-book aims to help CPAs, business owners, personal financial planners, and insurance consultants assess and modify their estate and financial planning to adjust to a volatile market.

IMGCAP(1)]The family CPA is often the best choice as successor trustee of the family trust.

IMGCAP(1)]Part of a CPA’s job is to evaluate the potential tax benefits of various business and estate planning strategies.

Accounting firm Conner Ash is offering wealth management and investment advisory services through its newly formed CA Advisory Group.

The Congressional Research Service has issued a new report, “401(k) Plans and Retirement Savings: Issues for Congress,” that describes seven major policy issues facing defined contribution plans:

IMGCAP(1)]One good thing that might come from all the attention on Michael Jackson's estate is that it may motivate people to get their own affairs in order. In addition, there are lessons to be learned that readers can apply to their own situation.

The American Institute of CPAs has opened a PFP Practice Portal for CPAs who are interested in becoming personal financial planners and earning the AICPA’s Personal Financial Specialist credential.

Accounting firm Breslow Starling has been accepted into the Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center by the American Institute of CPAs.

The Obama administration has proposed legislation to Congress that would establish consistent standards for anybody who provides investment advice.

Third Ranking of CPAs by AUM

To help ameliorate the declines experienced during a bear market, the investment community has long advocated diversifying one's equity holdings across various equity asset classes, such as large-cap growth and value, mid-cap growth and value, and international stocks. Yet all the purported benefits of diversification somehow managed to fail spectacularly from late 2007 well into the first quarter of 2009. In fact, despite having their equity holdings distributed across many different types of equity mutual funds and stock holdings, the declines in investors' overall equity portfolio values over the period were unprecedented in the modern era.

Daniel C.S. Powell founded Christian Stanley in 2003 as a specialty-finance investment bank predicated upon the rapidly emerging life settlements industry. Powell, a former institutional broker with Morgan Stanley, says that he recognized the unique characteristics of the life settlement asset class and decided to develop a proprietary syndicate of institutional bidders seeking to acquire life settlement assets. "The prime objective of Christian Stanley is to serve as an efficient life settlement clearinghouse for the benefit of the greater economy and senior citizens across America."

Empowering Advisors

MOST AMERICANS NOT READY FOR RETIREMENT

Care planning is complicated, but critical

The Financial Planning Association is encouraging its members to write to the Securities and Exchange Commission protesting a proposed regulation that will require investment advisors to undergo surprise annual accounting audits by an outside accounting firm.

The Investment Management Consultants Association implemented changes to its Certified Investment Management Analyst certification program yesterday, the organization said.

Salaries of financial advisors are rebounding after a soft 2008, according to a new survey.

As many as 9.5 million retired Americans are considering at least a partial return to the workforce, according to a new study by Charles Schwab.