Advisers are the new go-to source for estate planning — here’s why
Some 80% of respondents said they expect estate planning to be integrated into financial wellness offerings.
Estate planning
Child-free savers are falling behind on estate and long-term care planning
New research highlights a widening planning gap among child-free savers, with lagging estate and long-term care planning exposing unique risks.
A proactive approach to long-term care planning can pay off for clients
Clients have several options to tackle this unpleasant topic, but for advisers, the best time to start the discussion is now.
These common HSA mistakes can cost clients
Planners can help savers avoid higher taxes, IRS penalties and Medicare headaches by guiding them through the strict guidelines for the accounts.
1 in 4 couples disagree over retirement spending priorities
Romantic partners usually agree on their broad retirement goals, a new Ameriprise study shows. But the consensus breaks down over smaller questions.
Employees shouldn’t be blindsided by end of life decisions. How benefits can help ease the burden
End of life benefits can help employees plan for the future for themselves and their loved ones.
Top 10 year-end tax planning tips
The CARES Act will play a critical role, according to Grant Thornton.
In times of crisis, organizing end-of-life documents with a workplace benefit
Everplans is a platform that helps employees create, store and securely share important documents that they or their families may need access to in the future.
Clients could be unknowingly sabotaging their Social Security
Filing at the wrong age and failing to take advantage of programs like spousal and survivor benefits are just a few common mistakes seniors make.
Will your clients be forced to claim Social Security early?
Many pre-retirees leave the workforce sooner than anticipated as a result of various factors, such as job loss and illness.
This common mistake could ‘significantly diminish’ the value of savings
Clients adding investments other than target-date funds to their 401(k) or 403(b) could potentially hurt their bottom line.
Does Social Security still have a minimum benefit?
To qualify for this feature, clients should have reported a minimum amount for at least 11 years.
Social Security scams are a growing threat to retirees
One tip for seniors: They should register their My Social Security account as early as they can before other people can create the account.
Why retirees shouldn’t fear a bear market
The stock market typically recovers from bear markets in far less time than most doom-and-gloomers think, says an expert.
Estate planning answers for ‘hard’ assets like art, heirlooms
When leaving heirlooms and other illiquid assets to loved ones, seniors should allow the heirs to inherit the items instead of liquidating them
Muni bonds sport attractive yields for retirees
While tax reform has been a mixed bag for muni bonds, a few factors working in their favor include constrained supply this year, as well as historically low defaults.
Social Security ‘is under attack,’ say these congressional Democrats
A recent report from Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee says that Social Security is being threatened, and the federal government should consider modernizing and enhancing the program.
Workers can still cut 2017 taxes with these retirement accounts
Employees still have a few weeks to make deductible contributions to various retirement accounts, as well as health savings accounts, to reduce their 2017 tax liabilities.
5 key differences between Roth and traditional IRAs
Not knowing the differences between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA could be costly for retirement savers.
3 mistakes workers make with retirement withdrawals
Not tapping tax-deferred retirement accounts until the age of 70 1/2 can be a wrong move, as required minimum distributions can be big enough to push retirees to a higher tax bracket.
