Darla Mercado writes about retirement issues and products, including taxes, annuities and 401(k) plans. She welcomes feedback and tips from readers on interesting topics. Outside of the newsroom, Darla spends her time inline skating, biking, running and swimming. She Tweets at: @Darla_Mercado
The entirety of estates that are only 5% over the exemption are now subject to the tax. Some NYers are considering charitable gifts to winnow the size of their assets; others may move.
Simplifying strategies and balancing clients' assets across different accounts with different tax treatments can help HNW retirees.
Changes have some considering switching states – but be warned that that takes careful planning
The Department of Labor, headed by Thomas Perez, aims to assist plan sponsors understand costs after 2012 regulations pushed for more disclosure. The solution? A fee road map. Skeptics warn the map could be as complicated as the disclosure.
With the number of late-life divorces expected to surge, advisers, attorneys and tax experts face new pressures to ensure sustainable retirement income for clients.
A confluence of changing client demographics and challenging investment environments has forced many advisers to shift their focus from being stock jockeys to holistic planners — and this evolution is bleeding into all of the advice channels.
Gender bias is alive and well in the financial advisory industry, and though eliminating it will be a monumental effort, everyone can play a role to ensure aspiring women advisers thrive.
Advisers have found themselves helping clients figure out how to fund long-term retirement savings and short-term medical expenses, and it hasn't been easy.
Moving money from one record keeper to another so hard that some clients give up and stay put.
Adviser agrees to pay more than $500,000 over ERISA violations.
