Life Events

The industry luminary reflects on how financial advisors will be impacted by the coronavirus and why he joined Buckingham Wealth Partners.

The first big step in financial planning is examining your clients’ passions and pursuits.

Short of losing a child, losing your spouse is the most painful event someone can experience. The sorrow is overwhelming and often times debilitating. It never goes away, but over time most people learn to peacefully co-exist with it.

Advisors can better serve their clients on one of the most important investments they will ever make – their family’s education.

This year feels so much like late in 1981, late in 1999 and late in 2008 to us. The first reaction by investors was to flush whatever they had left in economically sensitive stocks. Then, as if there hadn’t been enough torture for value investors today, Saudi Arabia decided to chop the knees out from under the oil industry in the U.S.

In a move that has bewildered many CFPs, the CFP Board of Standards took a giant step backward in transparency. It chose to no longer inform consumers searching for a CFP of advisors' compensation models.

Falling oil prices can be a double-edged sword in terms of economic impact: welcomed by consumers, but not by producers. Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity’s Bassel Khatoun shares his thoughts on the impact of lower oil prices on emerging market economies and some considerations for investors

Note: This commentary has been updated with the latest numbers from Friday's Employment Report. Consider: Today nearly one in three of the 65-69 cohort and one in five of the 70-74 cohort are in the labor force.

Future-oriented planning serves a purpose, but it misses the central question: What do your clients want their lives to look like?

Why do good people make bad choices? There are plenty of examples of bad conduct, both in the security industry and by corporate titans.

In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March, Cady Johnson shares her perspective on gender equality in the financial services industry.

Sonal Desai, PH.D., is executive vice president and chief investment officer of Franklin Templeton Fixed Income, as well a portfolio manager for a number of strategies. In this interview, she discusses the unique investment strategy she has developed, as well as the key risks – specifically the coronavirus – facing investors.

In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March, Candice Stack and David Forgash discuss the internship program PIMCO hosts in partnership with Girls Who Invest.

For a lot of women executives, budgeting requires a big change in behavior.

The US equity markets have fallen sharply the past week on concerns of coronavirus diseases 2019. This novel coronavirus affects the respiratory system, was first identified in Wuhan, China more than two months ago, and has now spread to all major economies globally.

Margaret Farquharson is a senior director with the Nationwide Funds Group and leads its exchange traded fund business, where she has oversight for all aspects of the business including product development, product management, marketing, distribution, and operations.

Here are two steps to provide female investors with comprehensive financial planning.

In a profession heavily dominated by men, female financial advisors need women to serve as mentors, role models, confidants and champions.

Jan Blakeley Holman is the director of advisor education for Thornburg Investment Management. As a speaker and author, Jan draws on four decades in the business, first as an advisor, then as a financial services industry executive and now as an advisor to advisors. She has unique expertise in working with women clients and often teaches advisors how to speak with women about managing their wealth.

Advisors should help clients over age 50 reduce debt, not just build savings.

If the virus in fact becomes a national crisis, it might have a bearing on how a segment of voters decides whether to support the President in any of three ways...

Commodities look oversold right now, meaning there could be some potentially attractive buying opportunities. Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, traded below $50 per barrel on Friday for the first time since July 2017, while copper remained mostly range-bound.

Nearly 40 years of financial planning experience has taught me that retirement is one of the most impactful emotional transitions in life. As your clients face the shift from earning a paycheck to relying on sources other than work for income, difficult emotions and deeply buried money scripts will surface.

When I meet with him alone in his office, rather than engage, my boss reads his emails or notes on his desk and once – true story – he fell asleep in his chair as I was speaking to him.

Divorce is devastating – emotionally, mentally and physically. But, most importantly, according to a recent study, a huge percentage of women suffered unanticipated financial consequences that could have been mitigated or eliminated with better planning.

After years of working with high-earning female executives, I’ve found that their cash flow management problems are not a matter of not having enough income or wealth. The problem is not knowing where it’s going.

It’s scrappy and humbling, but their phone is the one thing that people will run back into a burning building to retrieve. Bring cold calling back into your 2020 marketing!

Reverse mortgages seem like a great idea for hordes of baby boomers who don’t have enough income to maintain their lifestyles, or – worse – to buy basic necessities when they retire. Although some advisors and academics have demonstrated how reverse mortgages are good wealth management tools for certain clients, a new working paper from the World Bank examines why they haven’t worked to solve inadequate retirement savings and longevity risk.

Whether to purchase long-term care (LTC) insurance is one of the most difficult and consequential decisions a retiree will make. Because of the complexity of the products and the uncertainty of needing care, very few have attempted – as I did below – to provide an objective analysis.

This is going to be one of those years where we believe behavior—for advisors and clients—is going to really matter. At Russell Investments, we believe one of the biggest detriments to a client’s return is their own behavior.

For many advisors, asking clients for referrals remains a messy, uncomfortable situation.

No matter what industry you work in, being a woman brings unique challenges that men don’t have to deal with. The response isn’t to resign ourselves or get overly caught up in fighting for systemic change. Instead, identify what those challenges are and get the resources you need to overcome them.

Friends of mine who are enduring the crucible of the loss of their spouses tell me that one of the hardest things, along with the grieving process, is the uncertainty surrounding finances.

I advise against variable, indexed (i.e., equity-indexed and fixed-indexed), and other similar annuities that pay high commissions, have high surrender charges or have high annual fees. But SPIAs may have a role in retirement plans.

So far in 2020, the yield on the 10-year Treasury has averaged 0.01 percent when adjusted for inflation. Since the end of January, it’s actually dipped below 0 percent, trading as low as negative 0.14 percent on January 31.

Here’s how the SECURE Act may impact your clients. Plan now for these conversations.

The essence of the activities we enjoy – how we have “fun” – reveals a key personality trait. Identifying that trait and that of your prospects and clients is critical to providing good advice.

Divorces in a couples’ later years can be financially devastating, especially for women where the husband has earned most of the money and made most of the financial decisions. Let’s look at some of the most valuable ways advisors can help.

Friday’s jobs report, as well as other recent labor market data, has an “on the one hand; on the other hand” flavor to it.

Learn more about the remarkable lives and contributions of three leading African American economists.

A deep dive into the factors that brought inflation down and are keeping it low.

Read Harold Evensky's latest newsletter.

An apology is a delicate thing. You get one chance, so don’t do it badly and embitter the person further. If you’re going to apologize, then say you’re sorry like you mean it.

The past decade has been one for the record books. There has been unprecedented change in almost every aspect of life including technology, transportation, politics, etc.

Dorothy Hinchcliff has joined Advisor Perspectives as its editor. Previously, Hinchcliff was the executive editor of Financial Advisor magazine, as well as editor of FA online and FA green, where she had worked since 2000.

The benefits of solitude are rarely discussed.

What can advisors learn from institutional investors? Try these four key moves.

What if you rid your presentations of financial jargon, history lessons of the markets and the dreaded PowerPoint slides?

In the decades that I have been listening to politicians clumsily trying to explain the economy there has never been a period, with the possible exception of the early Reagan years, in which major party leaders were able to present a solid grasp of economic principles.

New research confirms that more formal, expensive clothes consistently convey positive images of competency and trustworthiness than a less formal, cheaper wardrobe.

The stories of Sheetz and Wawa and how they shifted the focus of their brands offer a fantastic marketing lesson to every financial advisor.

Only 2% of mutual fund assets are managed by women. One of them is Rupal Bhansali, who also happens to be a woman of color. She offers some insights into the keys to her successful career path, as well as the top contrarian opportunities she sees in the non-U.S. markets.

A strong economy will help U.S. consumers meet their financial resolutions in the new year, while residents of France and Australia have bigger worries.

Navigating between the despotic extreme of authoritarianism and the unbridled liberty of anarchism is the challenge of society in its quest for good government. A new book looks at the choices facing policymakers to achieve the proper balance and to improve the prospects of those countries outside the “narrow corridor” of effective governance that lies between those extremes.

Good things are happening, too, and will keep happening as we move through the 2020s. Occasionally I like to note them, and that’s what we will do today.

Forget those fears of a global “Population Bomb” and worldwide famine which were made popular several decades ago. While the world’s population is still growing, birth rates in most developed nations are falling, including the United States.

Let’s talk about a few large “surprise” Medicare-related expenses that your clients may not know about.

The Ten Surprises of 2019 worked out plenty well. While we don't go through this process with the objective of getting a high score, knowing that you have been able to anticipate some of the generally unexpected events that are going to influence the financial markets during the coming year is gratifying.

DC plan sponsors are increasingly using TDFs that blend active and passive strategies to seek lower fees and enhanced alpha potential.

The scientific evidence increasingly indicates that the world may soon reach a point of no return regarding climate change. So, rather than worrying almost exclusively about economic and political inequality, rich-country citizens need to start thinking about how to deal with global energy inequality before it’s too late.

The current expansion won't last forever. But we don't see it ending anytime soon.

The Grinch who stole Christmas is alive and well this year – in the U.S. Congress. Our representatives and senators passed a bill that negatively affects the middle and working class by changing the rules of passing an IRA to one’s heirs.

What were the top financial news stories of 2019? To answer that question, Frank looks back at his five most visited articles from the year that was.

Like many financial planners, I hope for the day when we are accorded the same professional stature as lawyers and accountants. But the CFP Board should not be put at the helm of that future profession. That would harm consumers and erode the public trust we have worked so hard to engender.

It has been my tradition to informally rate the investment-related books I read in the past year. I have also included some novels and books of general interest. Here is my list of winners and losers.

A brainstorming session hosted by the CFP Board on December 13 offered a look at how the planning profession will evolve over the next 10 years. Here’s a view of the landscape in 2030 and what it will take to get there.

How do you build a moat around your client base?

Despite Central Bank’s best efforts globally to stoke economic growth by pushing asset prices higher, the effect has been entirely consumed by those with actual savings, and discretionary income, available to invest.

There is almost no willingness to face our top problems, specifically our rising debt. The economic challenges we face can’t continue, which is why I expect the Great Reset, a kind of worldwide do-over. It’s not the best choice but we are slowly ruling out all others.

Our office manager is sleeping with one of our principals.

Let me tell you about some really powerful tools that will engage clients more deeply and bring your ongoing client service to life.

What happened? UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party won yesterday’s election in a landslide, taking 365 seats. With a majority of 80 seats, the Conservatives have their largest majority since 1987. Ultimately, the country wanted to “Get Brexit Done” too.

It’s that time of year when inevitably people at the holiday party are going to ask you what you do for a living. Say arrivederci to the meaningless, awkward mish mosh you were taught in the past. Try these new, cool elevator pitch ideas.

A brief monthly update on what's happening in the municipal bond market.

The current path we are on is unsustainable. The remedies being applied today is akin to using aspirin to treat cancer. Sure, it may make you feel better for the moment, but it isn’t curing the problem.