Take 15: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly of Target-Date Retirement Funds

Although target-date retirement funds are a ubiquitous retirement planning tool, their glide paths vary considerably from one provider to the next. Moreover, the glide paths themselves tend to change over time. Thomas M. Idzorek, CFA, discusses the problems associated with benchmarking these instruments and outlines a glide path stability score. Read more

Book Review: Pension Finance

Pension Finance: Putting the Risks and Costs of Defined Benefit Plans Back Under Your Control

M. Barton Waring has succeeded in creating one of the definitive works on the structure and management of defined benefit plans. This indispensable guide for pension advisers dispels any notion of easy solutions to the problems of defined benefit plans, especially underfunding. His sensible solutions are within our grasp if we choose to accept them. Read more

The Facts on FATCA: New Rules Set to Reshape Global Wealth Management

FATCA Set to Reshape Global Wealth Management Landscape (Photo from Shutterstock)

Are we witnessing the beginning of the end for bank secrecy laws? Regulators in the United States and Europe have been chipping away at bank secrecy for some time now. But two recent developments suggest that efforts are not only intensifying but also becoming more globally coordinated. Read more

What Do Clients Want? Five Tips for Better Adviser-Client Relationships

What Do Clients Want? (Illustration from Shutterstock)

We often hear the phrase “trusted adviser,” but is “trust” at the heart of the adviser-client relationship? Advisers only lose trust when they promise things they can’t control, according to Deena Katz, an associate professor in the Personal Financial Planning department at Texas Tech University. Read more

Take 15: Defining, Motivating, and Achieving Client Engagement

Developing a flow of steady referrals that help an adviser to grow his or her practice is a perpetual challenge. Julie Littlechild, president and founder of Advisor Impact, discusses how enhancing client engagement can support referrals and how to increase the likelihood that your clients become your most ardent advocates. Read more