It's a rare event indeed when an IRS ruling is cause for celebration, but such was the case in April when the tax-meisters made some alternative deferred-compensation funding investments more tax friendly. Specifically, the IRS ruled that an...
A Morgan Stanley advisor sat at his desk a few months ago, reviewing his professional life. During the late 90s boom, he had been trading millions of dollars a day. When, like many reps, he crashed to earth in the boom's aftermath, he had to re...
THE QUESTION WHAT NEXT? is an expression of exasperation but also one of hope as if so much has already happened that it can't possibly get worse. With all the scandal that's buffeted the securities industry, it's understandable if reps are...
The Scottish poet George MacDonald wrote, Age is not all decay; it is the ripening, the swelling of the fresh life within, and financial advisors familiar with the intricacies of life insurance know what he means. As people age, their perspectives...
It's an unfortunate fact of life that a worthwhile goal usually requires copious sacrifice. You can't be a pro football player, for instance, without spending untold hours pumping iron. A surgeon doesn't get to the good part of his job before...
Consumer Reports recently released a study that concluded, for most people, long-term-care insurance is too risky and too expensive. True as this may be, many people still find the idea of life without this safety net far more frightening than its...
If you believe their critics, annuities are a big ripoff financial vehicles that are flogged by financial advisors merely for their high commissions. This is unfortunate, for annuities (both fixed and variable) can be useful financial planning...
Picture this: An older woman with a limited investment horizon her nest egg in a diversified portfolio, but at his advisor's urging, he agrees to move everything into a variable annuity with whopping upfront fees and penalties for early withdrawal...
Securities firms have good reasons for wanting their reps to sell insurance, but some stockbrokers dismiss it outright. It is beneath you, too complicated or simply not worth the risk?
