WEALTH MANAGEMENT

What Are Your Clients’ Children Inheriting? They Need to Be Prepared 

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portrait of Randy Fox
Fox
 Randy A. Fox, CFP, AEP is the founder of Two Hawks Consulting LLC. He is a nationally known wealth strategist, philanthropic estate planner, educator and speaker.

Consider options beyond donor advised funds.

By Randy A. Fox
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

After interviewing several thousand high-net-worth families, The U.S. Trust Study of the Philanthropic Conversation found that one-third of respondents (31%) would switch to a new advisor if that advisor could talk to them meaningfully about philanthropy.

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Think about that for a second. One-third of affluent families would switch to a new advisor if that individual was more adept than their current advisor at helping them give their money away. It has nothing to do with investment returns, asset allocation or finding hot alternative investments. It has to do with understanding the client’s values and seeing the whole picture.
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Alan Whitman: Why the Next Big CPA Firms Won’t Look Like CPA Firms | Gear Up for Growth

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And why culture matters more than ever.

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Gear Up for Growth
With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

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Alan Whitman isn’t trying to build a better CPA firm. He’s trying to replace it.

At Nichols Cauley, the former Baker Tilly CEO is recasting the traditional accounting practice as a “financial services company”—a structure that blends tax, insurance, risk, and transaction advisory into a single, continuous client relationship.

MORE ALAN WHITMAN: PE Deal Tracker Update: Alan Whitman Plants a Flag in the Private Equity Landscape | Breaking the Mold with PE Backing | Build Culture on ‘Progress,’ Not Change | Moss Adams-Baker Tilly Merger: Bigger Isn’t Better. Better Is Better.| Unlocking the Secrets to Smart Growth 

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The goal, he tells Jean Caragher in this episode of Gear Up for Growth, is not to expand services around the edges, but to collapse them into one integrated model designed to “manage, protect, and grow” client wealth in a recurring loop.

The shift reflects a broader rethinking across the profession, in which private equity capital, client demand for one-stop advisory services, and advances in AI are pushing firms beyond the partnership model that has defined accounting for decades.

Having previously led transformational growth at Baker Tilly, Whitman rejects the notion that rapid growth damages culture.

“That’s hogwash,” he says. “Culture comes down to one word: trust.” READ MORE →

All Ages Can Benefit from Trust and Estate Planning

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portrait of Cody Barbo
Barbo
 Cody Barbo is the founder and CEO of Trust & Will. Before this, he was founder and CEO of Industry, a “LinkedIn” for the service and hospitality industry. He serves on the San Diego State University Alumni Board of Advisors and Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity’s National Foundation Board.

Advances in online planning tools make it easier and more affordable.

By Cody Barbo
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

Studies show that 60 percent of families don’t have any estate planning in place, which usually makes it more painful and expensive for families to settle the estate of their loved ones.

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When it comes to considering who will be the best guardian for your children or how to divide your assets among loved ones, thinking about your estate can be stressful and intimidating. In fact, our research shows that half of people who eventually do get estate plans in place, spend one to five years considering before actually completing it. Why do so many people procrastinate about something that’s so important?
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Four Misconceptions about Annuities and Insurance

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Lau
 David Lau is the founder and CEO of DPL Financial Partners, a privately held financial services firm that specializes in the development and distribution of low-cost, commission-free insurance and annuity products, for registered investment advisors (RIAs) and individual investors.

Perceptions are changing … and rightfully so.

By David Lau, founder and CEO of DPL Financial Partners, and 
Ross McGoodwin, regional vice president at DPL Financial Partners
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

After the stock market swooned (-22% S&P 500) and the majority of bond indices suffered double-digit losses in 2022, protection and income solutions are at the forefront of planning discussions. Instead of these principal protection and income solutions being offered only by commission-based agents, however, now they can be offered by fiduciaries for planning discussions and appropriate implementation.

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According to LIMRA (Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association), retail annuity sales in 2022 shattered the annual sales records set during the global financial crisis of 2008. For instance, fixed-rate deferred annuities totaled $113 billion, more than double the sales in 2021, LIMRA reported. CD alternatives, such as fixed-rate deferred annuities, provide security and tax-deferred growth. I have found this helps clients guarantee upside return, something they are actively seeking after one of the worst years in combined equity and bond performance since World War II. I’ve also found that fee-only options will provide higher rates compared to traditional, commission-based solutions.
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