Estate Planning

Families without Children Need Estate Planning Too by Brendan T. Hayes

Posted August 29, 2019

The once idealized picture-perfect family of two parents and two-and-a-half children has faded, as a growing number of married couples choose to live child-free. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of married couples without children has doubled over the past 45 years and is expected to continue on an upward trend. Despite the absence […]

It is Time for a Mid-Year Financial Checkup UPDATED 2019 by Scott Montgomery, CLU, ChFC

Posted August 21, 2019

Mitigating investment risk and preparing portfolios and estate plans for an uncertain future requires investors to meet with their financial advisers on a regular basis, and especially mid-year, to ensure that long-term plans remain on track. Here’s a checklist of topics to consider: Are my investments still aligned with my long-term goals? Whether saving for […]

Avoid the Problems that Can Come with Cosigning Loans by Kathleen Marteney, CRPC

Posted August 7, 2019

Cosigning a loan for a friend or family member can spell financial disaster and ruin an otherwise healthy relationship. While it is not unusual for parents to cosign for a child’s student loans, car loans or even a mortgage, doing so can damage parents’ credit scores and leave them liable for paying off the entire […]

Best Interest Rule Falls Short of Protecting Investors Best Interests by Todd A. Moll, CFP, CFA

Posted July 18, 2019

The SEC recently adopted a new Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) standard code of conduct for stockbrokers and broker-dealers to follow when providing consumers with financial advice and investment recommendations. Unfortunately, the new rules do not go far enough to legally and morally bind brokers and their firms to the more rigorous fiduciary standard required […]

Joining an Independent Broker-Dealer Can Strengthen Financial Advisors’ Capabilities, Help to Improve Client Services by Eric Zeitlin

Posted July 10, 2019

Gone are the days when large, institutional banks and wirehouses were the only ones with pockets deep enough to arm financial advisors with the tools needed to attract and retain wealthy clients. Today, independent broker/dealers and registered investment advisories associated with independent wealth management firms have access to a wide array of customizable strategies and […]

Avoiding Basic, and Most Common, Estate Planning Disasters by Scott Montgomery, CLU, ChFC

Posted June 10, 2019

If you gathered documents to prepare your annual federal income tax returns, take a moment now to review your financial accounts before filing those papers away in a drawer. Most importantly, you will want to look at how those accounts are titled, who is named as a beneficiary and if your life circumstances or new […]

Is your Financial Advisor Putting your Best Interests First? by Eric Zeitlin

Posted May 29, 2019

Under current law, financial advisors and brokers are bound by a “suitability” standard that requires them to recommend investment products that are deemed “appropriate” for a client’s defined need and objective. This standard of care does not rise to the level of a fiduciary, who is legally and ethically obligated to put their clients’ best […]

8 Tips to Help Women Improve Financial Literacy by Kathleen Marteney, CRPC

Posted May 22, 2019

For too long, women were socialized to believe that they were bad with money or that financial management was a role better left to their husbands. While women have come a long way, there remains a significant gender gap in financial literacy. According to the results of a recent study conducted by the Global Financial […]

Protecting Against Elder Financial Abuse by Robert Mark Weiss, CFA

Posted May 15, 2019

Financial crimes against the elderly more than quadrupled between 2013 and 2017, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). While it is common for the perpetrators of these scams and thefts to be unknown by the victims, they are too often the actual people that older adults know and trust, including their appointed caregivers, […]

What Happens when Financial Advisors Declare their Independence? by Eric Zeitlin

Posted April 24, 2019

After spending more than 25 years in the financial services industry, first on the bond desk in Canada and more recently at one the world’s leading investment banking and wealth management firms, Rob Weiss, CFA, made a significant career move. In 2018, he went independent, joining Provenance Wealth Advisors (PWA) as a financial advisor and […]

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