March 2010
Focus
Guiding Clients Through the Transition to Medicare
by Amy E. Buttell
Your aging clients may be confused and in need of help when the
time comes to leave individual or employee-based health insurance
programs and choose a Medicare plan that's right for them. Do you
have the expertise they need?
Columns
Professional Issues:
The Rules of Engagement, Part 2
by Rick Adkins, CFP®, ChFC, CLU
What CFP practitioners don't know about the Standards of
Professional Conduct can be dangerous when it comes to fiduciary
duties and establishing the scope of engagement.
Investment Research:
Improving the Adviser-Client Relationship, Part 2
by Bryan Olson, CFA, and Mark W. Riepe, CFA
Your best recommendations won't be effective unless clients follow
them. These behavioral finance strategies will help you obtain
client buy-in.
Insurance:
Life Insurance Solutions for Estate Tax Challenges
by Peter C. Katt, CFP®, LIC
The author describes two liquidity life insurance options to help
large estates handle difficult to market assets: static-priced
no-lapse policies and market-priced no-lapse policies.
Practices:
Staying Relevant
by Vern C. Hayden, CFP®
Want to stand out from your competition? Two case studies
show the importance of focusing on the subjective and qualitative
issues in client relationships.
Contributions
Unsafe at Any Speed? The Designed-In Risks of Target-Date Glide
Paths
by Zvi Bodie, Ph.D.; Richard K. Fullmer, CFA; and Jonathan
Treussard, Ph.D.
Target-date funds are becoming a popular retirement investment
vehicle, but varying risks and glide paths make fund comparisons
tricky. How can you help your clients avoid buying a "lemon"?
Social Security: When to Start Benefits and How to Minimize
Longevity Risk
by William Meyer and William Reichenstein, Ph.D., CFA
For singles and couples, which Social Security strategies maximize
present value of benefits and minimize longevity risk? And what
about the do-over option?
Asset Allocation for Retirement: Simple Heuristics and Target-Date
Funds
by Steven D. Dolvin, Ph.D., CFA; William K. Templeton, Ph.D.; and
William J. Rieber, Ph.D.
The authors examine common asset allocation strategies for
retirement investing. Their research favors a bold—but
risky—strategy and finds that target-date funds might be a
viable option for otherwise undisciplined investors.
Departments
Online (PDF
| 111 KB)
Starting Thoughts
Observer (PDF
| 100 KB)
10
Questions: Mary Anne Ehlert on the Myths, Challenges, and Role of
Advisers in Special-Needs Planning (PDF | 103 KB)
