News & Updates
Financial Planning and Happy Marriages
Good to Know Question: What can be a more common cause for divorce than infidelity? Answer: Unresolved money conflicts.1 While being on the same page over money may not guarantee the coveted fiftieth anniversary, fighting over money can undermine marriages well before the golden anniversary. The issues vary, but communication around marital finances can…
Read MoreGet the Bear, or the Bear Gets You
Good to Know Loss aversion, taken to its extreme, can wreck long-term retirement planning and investment success. We’ll unpack what drives “irrational” loss aversion, identify a dangerous decision error, and illustrate a potential guardrail to remain on track with our long-term investing plans. “Irrational” Loss Aversion We’re a logical, evolved species, right? Before you answer,…
Read MoreCFP Board Announces Dates for 2022 Conference
CFP® Board Updates The 2022 CFP Board Conference will be the first year for a combined conference of CFP Board Registered Programs and the Annual Firms Summit. This exclusive conference is an intersection of today’s employers of CFP® Professionals and the colleges and universities preparing the CFP® Professionals of tomorrow. The conference will be held…
Read MoreGet the CFP® Certification: 3 Key Reasons
CFP® Certificants in the News CFP® Certification is fast becoming a “must-have” designation for at least three reasons: Client awareness, Fiduciary Ethical Standard, and Doing well by doing good. Client Awareness An impressive 83% of consumers are aware of the CFP® Mark,1 far outstripping consumer awareness of other financial planning designations. CFP Board played a…
Read MoreAvoid Turning $1,000,000 into $12,000
Good to Know Imagine an individual investor passionate about a specific stock (it happens more often than you might think). Assume the investor’s portfolio is worth $2 million, but $1 million is in just one stock. How could that $1,000,000 concentration hemorrhage into only $12,000 in just over one year? Sadly, that’s precisely what happened…
Read MoreIndependent RIAs: Three Trends to Thrive
CFP® Certificants in the News CFP Board reports in its March 24, 2022 article that “Registered investment advisor (RIA) firms are an important factor in the future of the financial planning profession…” The article discusses how three trends offer independents a path to continued growth including: Hyper-specialization, Increased personalization and Digitalization. The text in quotation marks…
Read MoreManaging Concentration Wealth Risk — Swap (Exchange) Fund
Good to Know Purpose The goal of a swap fund is to reduce concentration of wealth risk through a unique approach to diversification. We will review this intriguing strategy’s operation, legal structure, tax implications, pros, and cons. Operation A swap fund (after this referred to as “the fund”) is a pool of concentrated positions in…
Read MoreMillenial and Gen Z Clients Need Financial Advice
CFP® Certificants in the News According to a recent CFP Board article, financial opportunity abounds in serving the Millenial and Gen Z generations. For example, the article reveals that “more than half of Americans were Millennials or younger as of July 2020. While the term ‘Millennial’ has been synonymous with ‘young adult’ throughout much of the…
Read MoreCFP Board’s Disciplinary Actions: Implications for the CFP Board Exam
Good to Know Forewarned is forearmed when studying for the CFP Board exam or choosing a CFP® Certification program. In its latest release of public discipline, CFP Board telegraphs its continued priority for enforcing ethical conduct. Recent disciplinary actions include public censures, suspensions, and revocations. Public Censures Public censures were issued for: Selling securities without…
Read MoreCFP Board Releases New Practice Exams
CFP® Board Updates For several years, the CFP Board has provided CFP Board exam practice exams to help students prepare for the board exam. Those exams have now been updated to mirror the format and content coverage of the CFP® Board Exam, which provides the closest possible experience to exam day. In addition, upon completion…
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