Insights

Bitcoin was an experiment that didn't quite work, mainly because the value fluctuated so that no one knew quite what they were really getting paid. But Facebook's recently announced Libra may have solved that problem with tying it to a basket of popular international...

Advisers working for registered investment advisory firms like mine have long been held to a higher standard of care for clients than those that work for brokerage firms, banks and insurance companies and are paid by commissions. I am proud of the higher standard and...

I am going to start posting a series of short articles by other writers whom I follow that I think would be beneficial to my readers. The first of these is from Fred Reish, an ERISA attorney with Drinker Biddle who is a frequent speaker at retirement plan conferences....

The DOL Fiduciary Rule that was so controversial was in its intention very good. There is no excuse for anyone in the financial services industry to put their interests above their own. The problems were in the paperwork it required and that it was not coordinated...

Any employer offering a qualified retirement plan like a 401(k) has a duty to monitor the plan, including the plan fees and the performance of the funds in the plan lineup. That does not mean that those who oversee the plan can be sued for underperformance as such....

Party Over? I sold some stock positions the other day in many accounts for individual clients, positions that were declining more rapidly than the benchmark S&P 500 Index, which is now down over 8% over the last month and has lost all its gains for the year. This...

The new tax law added a limit to the income owners of many kinds of professional corporations (like many medical practices) can earn and still keep the 20% qualified business income deduction this year. For those filing jointly, the phaseout of eligibility starts at...

What is the #1 issue with the oversight of 401(k) plans? No question, it is APATHY on the part of plan sponsors. Nothing else is even in the ballpark. In a typical plan, Joe, who's been the guy providing the plan for years, stops in once or maybe twice a year,...

Differentiation - Maybe instead of telling others that we are different, we ought to show them the difference by not focusing so much on our success as on enabling their success. In the end, we are successful because we contribute to the success of others. When we...

Hopefully, you have a will, a medical directive, a health care power of attorney, a general power of attorney, a detailed list of medications, medical conditions and allergies and a list of emergency contacts, all in case you end up in a serious medical situation. I’m...