Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 9, 2025

It's natural for advisors to begin discovery meetings by asking questions about a client's current financial situation – understanding cash flow, debt, investments, risk tolerance, or even the burning tax concern that brought them to the advisor's door in the first place is crucial for financial planning. Read More.

Clients 200

Clients Financial Planning Risk Tolerance Planning 200

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 29, 2024

Also in industry news this week: While many financial advisors are paying close attention to the potential extension of sunsetting measures within the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in the coming year, legislation related to retirement savings could be on Congress' agenda as well Fidelity is planning to change the default for its existing RIA non-retirement (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Financial Advice Retirement Financial Advisor 246

Wealth Management

JUNE 10, 2025

Number 8860726. You can't do this in isolation, you need a team," said Terranova, senior managing director at Virtus Investment Partners, when asked by WealthManagement.com Executive Editor Diana Britton about who he uses as his advisor to handle tax and estate planning and more. “I Registered in England and Wales.

Wealth Management 255

Wealth Management Management Estate Planning Business Planning 255

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 27, 2024

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that according to a recent study by DeVoe & Company, only 42% of RIAs surveyed have written succession plans and either have begun to implement them or have already done so.

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Insurance Coverage Insurance Valuation 246

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 20, 2025

There is no shortage of written content available for financial advisors to enhance their technical skills, grow in their careers, and run more successful planning practices, from books to research studies to long-form written content. Further, because choosing 'top' podcasts is inherently subjective (e.g.,

Financial Advisor 246

Financial Advisor Financial Advice Financial Planner Estate Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 16, 2025

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with the news that Republicans in the House of Representatives this week released their long-awaited tax plan to address the impending sunset of many measures in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Financial Planner 239

Financial Planner Financial Advice Education Taxes 239

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 30, 2024

And given the sheer number and scope of potential conflicts that do exist in the advisory industry (where a wide range of providers seek to incentivize advisors to recommend their products and services to clients), there's a vanishingly small number of RIAs that don't have at least some form of actual or potential conflict to disclose.

Advertising 246

Advertising Commission Marketing Marketing 246

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

In the early days of financial planning, serving clients often meant developing transactional relationships focused on facilitating trades and selling insurance. Over time, advisors shifted toward more analytical approaches, such as investment management and retirement planning.

Clients 130

Clients Planning Financial Planner Financial Planning 130

Nerd's Eye View

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

What's unique about Cristina, though, is how her firm supports clients in the so-called "sandwich generation" by both creating a financial plan for the clients' personal financial needs and goals, and by addressing (often with a separately paid add-on financial planning engagement) the financial issues facing their aging (and frequently less financially (..)

Financial Advisor 228

Financial Advisor Clients Financial Planning Planning 228

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 2, 2025

For many financial advisors, a core part of the retirement planning process involves simulating whether the client's assets will last through retirement. Yet while these tools offer mathematical metrics, they often fall short in helping clients connect the numbers to their real lives.

Retirement 147

Retirement Clients Retirement Planning Marketing 147

Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)

JANUARY 5, 2025

Find out how these MDRT members ask questions that challenge clients assumptions about passing on generational wealth and legacy planning. I’m not scared of numbers and giving clients a large number for insurance coverage. As a financial advisor, you can ask clients questions and discover the bias behind their objections.

Clients 103

Clients Insurance Coverage Planning Insurance 103

Nerd's Eye View

DECEMBER 20, 2024

Together, these proposed changes (which are currently open for public comment) suggest CFP Board is seeking to ensure that those with the marks not only have sufficient education and experience upon receiving them, but also maintain and sharpen their skills over the course of their careers.

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Certification CFP Education 246

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

At the same time, CFP Board has noted that advisors pursue the certification voluntarily and that its standards, which cover the entire financial planning process (unlike SEC and FINRA regulations that largely focus on investment management), help to raise standards for the industry as a whole at a time when advisors increasingly offer comprehensive (..)

Financial Planner 188

Financial Planner CFP Certification Retirement Planning 188

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 21, 2025

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" – this week's edition kicks off with the news that a report from Cerulli Associates found that, amidst an industry-wide trend towards comprehensive financial planning and away from pure transaction-based investment management, asset-based fees currently represent 72.4%

Financial Planner 228

Financial Planner Commission Communication Clients 228

Nerd's Eye View

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

Also in industry news this week: NASAA has proposed an amendment to its broker-dealer conduct model rule that would restrict the use of the terms “advisor” and “adviser” for broker-dealers and their registered representatives who are not also investment advisers or investment adviser representatives A recent study suggests that (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Asset Allocation Taxes Tax Planning 246

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 31, 2025

Also in industry news this week: While RIA M&A deal flow hit record levels in 2024 (both in terms of volume and the speed of completing them), firm valuations saw relatively modest gains In its latest annual regulatory oversight report, FINRA joined the SEC in flagging the potential risks to firm and client data from the use of third-party vendors (..)

Financial Planner 245

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Compliance Valuation 245

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 3, 2025

Enjoy the current installment of "Weekend Reading For Financial Planners" - this week's edition kicks off with a recent survey indicating that a majority of advisors are viewing new client acquisition as their primary challenge in the current competitive environment for financial advice (followed by compliance and technology management) and suggests (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Financial Advice Financial Advisor 246

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 17, 2025

Also in industry news this week: A recent survey indicates that members of Generation X are struggling more with retirement planning compared to older Baby Boomers and younger Millennials, potentially offering opportunities for financial advisors to help Gen Xers create a plan to 'catch up' when it comes to both their retirement savings and their financial (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Retirement Planning Retirement Financial Advisor 246

The Big Picture

MARCH 18, 2025

The challenge in writing How NOT to Invest was organizing a large number of ideas, many of which were only loosely connected, into something coherent, understandable, and, most importantly, readable. Bad Numbers : 4. Create a financial plan (then stick to it). It is March 18th! Publication day is finally here! Index (mostly).

Investing 317

Investing Investments Math Media 317

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 9, 2025

These results largely match results from the recent Kitces Research Study on Advisor Productivity, which found that the typical fee schedule for firms charging on a graduated basis remains at 100 basis points (bps) for client assets up to $1 million, then declines to 90 bps at $2 million, 75 bps at $5 million, and 60 bps at $10 million in assets.

Financial Planner 245

Financial Planner Financial Advice Clients Retirement Planning 245

Wealth Management

JUNE 17, 2025

Number 8860726. Now, he will seek to bring advisors onto Mariner’s 1099 affiliation platform for growth opportunities and succession planning. Registered in England & Wales with number 01835199, registered office 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG.

Wealth Management 189

Wealth Management Estate Planning Compliance Management 189

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 7, 2025

stocks has outpaced the rest of the market by so much that the number of companies categorized as “large cap” has shrunk from nearly 500 to only around 150 over the last 15 years Amid fears that U.S. equities underperforming international stocks over the next 10 years Why today’s high U.S.

Financial Planner 237

Financial Planner Taxes Numbers Planning 237

Nerd's Eye View

JULY 10, 2024

From an advisor's perspective, TCJA's impending expiration raises the importance of planning for clients who will potentially be impacted, which, given the law's broad scope, could be nearly every client. elections. Read More.

Taxes 246

Taxes Clients Planning Numbers 246

Wealth Management

JUNE 10, 2025

Number 8860726. Registered in England & Wales with number 01835199, registered office 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. RIA Bluespring Merges Two Texas-Based Firms to Create $1.4B

Wealth Management 179

Wealth Management Engineering Estate Planning Management 179

Nerd's Eye View

APRIL 18, 2025

Which, according to Kitces Research on Advisor Productivity, can lead to higher productivity for advisor teams (but can require an investment in staffing and higher-end planning services to meet their complex planning needs).

Financial Planner 195

Financial Planner Risk Tolerance Estate Planning Clients 195

Wealth Management

JUNE 11, 2025

Number 8860726. Duran and the industry's self-proclaimed nerd, Michael Kitces, participated in a "Financial Feud" game show where they debated topics such as private equity, succession planning and the value of a brand. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG.

Wealth Management 179

Wealth Management Management Financial Advisor Business Planning 179

Abnormal Returns

MARCH 10, 2025

kitces.com) Estate planning Estate plans are a big lift for everyone, including advisers themselves. kindnessfp.com) Why clients need to organize their digital assets for estate planning purposes. wealthmanagement.com) The number of cash balance plans are on the rise. abnormalreturns.com)

Estate Planning 157

Estate Planning Retirement Planning CFP Portfolio Management 157

Wealth Management

JUNE 11, 2025

Number 8860726. Whether clients support the policies with cash gifts or split-dollar, the discussion of options will necessarily involve a combination of insurance planning, tax planning, income and gift tax-oriented wealth transfer planning and investment planning. Registered in England and Wales. Charles L.

Wealth Management 165

Wealth Management Insurance Estate Planning Clients 165

Nerd's Eye View

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Since the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TJCA) was passed in 2017, few households have been subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), which TCJA restructured so that it applied mainly to a select number of upper-income households.

Taxes 246

Taxes Clients Planning Numbers 246

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 10, 2025

Also in industry news this week: A survey indicates that nearly 71% of new financial advisors drop out in the first 5 years, with firms offering better training and mentorship opportunities (as well as entry-level positions that don't come with business development targets) seeing higher employee retention rates How broker-dealer self-regulatory organization (..)

Financial Planner 189

Financial Planner Clients Financial Advice Numbers 189

Wealth Management

JUNE 10, 2025

Number 8860726. But similar to the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, fiduciary advisors can use this opportunity to assert their value and give clients confidence that their broader financial plans aren’t as negatively impacted as they may think, given the daily doom-and-gloom market headlines. Registered in England and Wales.

Wealth Management 147

Wealth Management Marketing Marketing Tax Planning 147

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 28, 2025

Also in industry news this week: A recent survey indicates that younger "DIY" investors are more likely to be interested in working with a human advisor than their older counterparts, suggesting an opportunity for advisors to tap into this demographic (perhaps by setting minimum planning fees that ensure these clients can be served profitably today (..)

Financial Planner 228

Financial Planner Retirement Retirement Planning Clients 228

Calculated Risk

DECEMBER 23, 2024

From the MBA: Share of Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Increases to 0.50% in November The Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) monthly Loan Monitoring Survey revealed that the total number of loans now in forbearance increased to 0.50% as of November 30, 2024. According to MBAs estimate, 250,000 homeowners are in forbearance plans.

Portfolio 147

Portfolio Government Planning Numbers 147

Wealth Management

OCTOBER 9, 2024

Open, honest and candid discussion about the latest jobs numbers, Creative Planning, TIAA's hacked, how AI can revolutionize 401(k) plans and more.

Numbers 276

Numbers Planning 276

Nerd's Eye View

MARCH 3, 2025

And while Black Diamond has cut a deal with Morningstar to be the 'default' option for Office advisors to move to, a host of other portfolio management platforms are offering their own incentives as well, leaving Morningstar Office advisors with an opportunity to evaluate a large and crowded landscape of options to find the platform that will work (..)

Estate Planning 173

Estate Planning Portfolio Management Communication Planning 173

Nerd's Eye View

JANUARY 24, 2025

Nonetheless, given the scale and brand awareness of the wirehouses, and as their own use of fee-based models increases (as opposed to primarily relying on commissions from selling products), competition for clients (and advisors) will likely remain stiff going forward, even amidst the favorable trends for RIAs Also in industry news this week: A recent (..)

Financial Planner 246

Financial Planner Asset Allocation Clients Commission 246

Nerd's Eye View

MAY 30, 2025

Also in industry news this week: In the continued absence of formal SEC guidance on advisory firm use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), many firms are taking a curious, but cautious, approach toward adopting AI-powered tools A recent report identifies the growing total wealth controlled by women in the U.S.

Financial Planner 225

Financial Planner Risk Tolerance Retirement Retirement Planning 225