Yes, the rich are different from you and me, most notably in terms of the financial advice they seek. If you aspire to serving these folks and who doesn't these days? be prepared to bone up on the special issues and problems of the ultra-wealthy...

Your Magic 8 ball has a better chance of predicting the outcome of the current estate tax enigma then you do. Couple that with the uncertainty of the stock market, and you have the making of some panicky clients. While you can't predict the future...

Boomers are headed for a great surprise: Many will wind up caring for their elderly parents. Here's what advisors can do to soften the shock.

What can a rep do about disagreements over the distribution of a client's wealth to family members?

No, not that kind of planning! A move to family financial planning has me working less and making more.

It is a world of harsh realities for reps. Interest rates are at historic lows; stocks, while showing signs of life, are still radioactive to many clients. Yet competition for high-net-worth investors is at an all-time high. Client referrals...

As previously discussed in this column, creating and funding a family limited partnership or limited liability company (both types are referred to herein as an ) may well result in substantial estate gift tax savings. Recent cases involving FLPs...

The most important element in determining gift and estate liability is the value of the asset being transferred. To reduce that value, estate planners create family limited partnerships (FLPs) and family limited liability companies (LLCs). The...

James Gorman of Merrill Lynch and other brokerage execs are trying to reinvent the retail broker.

In your initial meetings with clients, an answer to one question will give you insight into their values, lives and dreams and create a healthy anxiety that will motivate them to enlist your services. As nonchalantly as possible, ask, When you die...