In the retail brokerage and financial advisory businesses, the customer, as they say, is king. After all, the vast majority of new business is driven by referrals, and referrals come from happy clients. So it might interest you to know how the...

Until recently, astute high-net-worth parents wishing to fund their children's future education expenses could save a bundle in taxes by transferring money or investments to accounts established under the Uniform Transfer to Minors Act or Uniform...

How often do you call your clients? If they’re affluent, it might not be often enough. According to a J.D. Power and Associates 2007 “Full Service Investor Satisfaction Study,” released on July 24, there is a substantial group of...

Brokerage house got you down? For many brokers, moving to a private bank is equated with less autonomy—not to mention the scary world of salary-plus-bonus comp. But for others, the lure of the elite private banking brands is enough; at the...

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Collectibles -- say, a mint condition Joe DiMaggio rookie card or a 1956 "bathtub" Porsche speedster -- have always been popular with the wealthy. But never more so than now, according to the annual "World Wealth Report," conducted by Merrill...

Trustees of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) have increasingly seen participants turning to nontraditional or alternative investments in their accounts. These investments include not only real estate but also mortgages and closely held...

Trustees of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) have increasingly seen participants turning to nontraditional or alternative investments in their accounts. These investments include not only real estate but also mortgages and closely held...

The general tax rule is that trusts compute their income and deductions as if they were individuals.1 Probably the most significant exception to this rule is the charitable deduction: The rules are so different for trusts that it may be easier to...

Dear Editor: The March issue's, Charitable Giving, column in the Briefing section described private letter rulings issued to Harvard University in 2003 and to other universities starting in 2006. The technique outlined in the rulings and described...