Presentations…
Below is a list of current presentations that Michael has available for your event. You should contact Michael directly if you wish to discuss having him speak on a topic not listed, or if you are interested in a half-day or full-day workshop.
To Roth Or Not To Roth
(1 hr or 2 hr)
This session is designed to educate financial advisors about the situations where is does, and does not, make sense to consider a Roth contribution or a Roth conversion for a client. Participants will learn a framework to evaluate the key factors that cause the Roth decision to potentially create - or destroy - economic value for a client over time. In the second half of the session, participants will learn about numerous popular Roth conversion strategies, and gain an understanding about which ones are and are not truly effective for clients.
Understanding the New Medicare Taxes
(1 hr)
This session is designed to educate financial advisors about the new Medicare taxes that take effect in 2013 as a part of the health care legislation signed into law in March of 2010. Content will explore the technical rules that will apply to both of the new taxes, and explore the planning implications and potential techniques to manage or mitigate the impact of the tax, including steps that can be taken between now and 2012 to prepare for the implementation of the taxes in 2013.
Cutting Edge Tax Planning Developments and Opportunities
(1 hr or 2 hr)
This session is designed to educate financial advisors about the latest changes and developments in tax laws and regulations from Congress, the Treasury, the IRS, and the courts. Content will cover recent tax acts, important regulatory changes from the Treasury, recent actions and guidance from the IRS, and any other notable events. Because content is designed to remain continuously current and ongoing, topic details will change over time as developments unfold.
Financial Planning Implications of the Alternative Minimum Tax
(1 hr or 2 hr)
This session is designed to educate financial advisors about the Alternative Minimum Tax, how it works, how to identify clients at risk, and potential tax saving techniques for clients. In the extended session, special attention is paid to the unique planning opportunities surrounding the AMT and capital gains, and how to manage large liquidations or portfolio transitions while minimizing taxes.
Revisiting Modern Portfolio Theory
(2 hrs)
This session is designed for financial advisors who manage portfolios using the principles of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). Participants will gain a new perspective on the origins of MPT, how it was intended to be used, some of the ways that MPT is often mismatched to client goals when used for financial planning purposes, and the challenges involved in determining the proper inputs when using MPT.
Understanding Tactical Asset Allocation
(1 hr)
This session is designed for financial advisors who have managed portfolios using traditional buy-and-hold oriented techniques, who want a better understanding of the tactical asset allocation approach. In this session, participants will gain an understanding of some of the theoretical underpinnings of buy-and-hold strategic asset allocation and the tactical asset allocation alternative, and some of the practical approaches used and challenges faced by those who adopt tactical asset allocation.
Rethinking Risk Tolerance for Retiring Clients
(1 hr)
This session is designed for financial advisors that work with clients in or near retirement. Participants will gain a new perspective on how to address risk with their clients, why risk tolerance questionnaires don’t always produce the results or interaction they expect, and how to ensure that portfolios are optimally designed for retiring clients.
Safe Withdrawal Rates: Mechanics, Uses, and Caveats
(1 hr)
This session is designed for financial advisors who consult with clients about retirement planning issues. Participants will learn about how to apply the current safe withdrawal rate research to guide clients through safe spending in retirement, while also learning the important caveats to beware of when using these techniques.
The Impact of Market Valuation on Safe Withdrawal Rates
(1 hr)
This session is designed for financial advisors who consult with clients about retirement planning issues. Participants will gain an understanding about how market valuation can affect long-term investment returns, and in turn how an evaluation of the current stock market environment - as measured by stock market valuation - can and should impact the recommendation about how much a pool of investment assets can sustain in retirement withdrawals.
Expanding the Framework of Safe Withdrawal Rates
(1 hr or 2 hr)
This session is designed for financial advisors who consult with clients about retirement planning issues. Participants will gain an understanding about how fees, investment costs, and taxes can affect sustainable spending from a portfolio, and how to layer adjustments for taxes and expenses on top of other safe withdrawal rate rules. In the extended version of this session, participants will also explore how the use of additional factors - such as market valuation and dynamic portfolio changes - can further adjust the expected levels of sustainable spending for a given portfolio.
Implementing Monte Carlo in your Client's Retirement Plan
(1 hr)
This session is designed for financial advisors who consult with clients about retirement planning issues, who are not familiar with the use of Monte Carlo analysis. Participants will learn about the problems with traditional retirement planning projections, what Monte Carlo analysis is, and how the application of Monte Carlo can lead to higher quality retirement planning recommendations for clients.
Safe Withdrawal Rates & Monte Carlo Analysis:
Mechanics, Uses, and Caveats
(2 hrs)
This session is designed for financial advisors who consult with clients about retirement planning issues. Participants will learn about how to apply the current safe withdrawal rate research to guide clients through safe spending in retirement, while also learning the important caveats to beware of when using these techniques. In the second half of the session, participants will learn how Monte Carlo can extend the application of safe withdrawal rate techniques to a broader array of potential client situations, while understanding the important risks remaining when using this technique.
Advanced Planning Concepts in Long-Term Care Insurance
(1.5 hrs)
This session is designed for financial advisors who are familiar with the basic concepts of long-term care insurance, but wish to advance their knowledge about how to apply long-term care insurance with clients. The content focuses on understand some of the more advanced contract details in long-term care insurance policies, addresses advanced issues of how to select policy features and benefits, examines how to apply long-term care insurance for clients of varying wealth levels, and explores ways to model long-term care insurance needs for clients.
Life and Death Tax Planning for Annuities
(1 hr or 2 hr)
This session is designed for financial advisors that work with or sell annuities, as well as financial planners, attorneys, and accountants who want to better understand their tax treatment. Content covers the tax treatment of both deferred and immediate annuities during life, and the tax and other required distribution rules at death, as well as covering the unique issues that arise when annuities are held inside of IRAs.
Evaluating Existing Deferred Annuities:
What Every Advisor Needs to Know
(1.5 hrs)
This session is especially designed for financial planners, attorneys, and accountants who do not regularly work with annuities, but are often faced with clients that ask for guidance or insight about an existing annuity contract. The content covers the key information that every advisors needs to gather and understand to provide proper guidance to a client, with a focus on planning opportunities and holding or exit strategies.
My Client Died with an Annuity! Now What?
(1.5 hrs)
This session is designed for financial planners, attorneys, and accountants who face clients that have inherited an annuity and need to know how to proceed. Participants will gain an understanding of the extensive tax rules applicable to both immediate and deferred annuities during life and at death, with a special focus on handling post-death distribution requirements and unique complications that arise with annuities at death.
Taxation of Deferred Annuities:
Important Rules that Professional Advisors Should Know
(1 hr or 1.5 hrs)
This session is designed for financial advisors that work with or sell annuities, as well as financial planners, attorneys, and accountants who want to better understand their tax treatment. Content focuses on the tax treatment of deferred annuities during life, and the tax and other required distribution rules at death, as well as covering the unique issues that arise when annuities are held inside of IRAs.
Understanding Roth 401(k) plans
(1 hr)
This session is designed to educate financial advisors about the new Roth 401(k) plans. Participants will learn not only about the key technical tax rules that clients will face in such plans, but also will gain an understanding about the true benefits of a Roth 401(k) plan and when such plans would be better, or worse, than a traditional 401(k) alternative.
Trusts as Beneficiaries of IRAs
(1 hr or 2 hr)
This session is designed to educate financial advisors about the complex rules that apply when trusts as named as beneficiaries of IRAs. Participants will learn about the requirements for trusts to become eligible for “see-through” trust treatment, allowing beneficiaries to stretch distributions over their lifetimes, as well as the important provisions to be aware of when viewing a client’s trust to avoid planning disasters. In the extended session, additional time is spent exploring common problems that occur when trusts as named as beneficiaries, how to avoid them, and the planning strategies and opportunities of naming various types of common trusts as IRA beneficiary.
Mortgage Interest Deductibility: More than Meets the Eye
(1 hr)
This session is designed for mortgage lending professionals, or for comprehensive financial planners and others who consult with clients on home purchase decisions. Participants will learn the key technical rules necessary to determine whether or how mortgage interest will be deductible, along with numerous traps and pitfalls to avoid.
Creditor Protection for Retirement Accounts:
Planning after the 2005 Bankruptcy Act
(1 hr)
This session is designed for financial advisors who work with clients on retirement plan rollovers, either directly or as a part of the financial planning process. Participants will learn the new rules for retirement account asset protection, the difference between bankruptcy and ERISA protection, and will gain an understanding of the key information that must be conveyed to clients and understood by advisors to protect them from making costly mistakes.
Understanding the Next Generation of
Financial Services Professionals
(1 hr)
This session is designed to educate about the unique traits and concerns of the next generation of financial services professionals, with a special focus on the staff retention and succession planning issues that can arise due to generational differences.