A new campaign is underway to help promote the visibility of independent RIAs to the general public. But the focus is not to increase awareness of the differences between RIA and broker/dealer compensation, nor to explore the fiduciary versus suitability debate. Instead, it's simply to convey the message "We exist."
In the midst of the financial planning community's struggles to figure out how to serve the mass middle market in an effective manner, a surprising new entrant to the field may lead the way in showing how to get it done right. Welcome to the Personal Financial Counselor Network, brought to the U.S. military courtesy of the Department of Defense!
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Do your clients have retirement accounts held directly with Vanguard? More than one? Do you know who the beneficiaries are for each account? Are you SURE you have that right? Sorry, think again.
For many years, the no-load space for life insurance products has been very limited, to a large extent because fee-based advisors were perceived as being a very weak target market by the traditional insurance companies.
However, a new entrant to this marketplace is raising the stakes on the pricing and transparency of permanent life insurance, and is starting to get some attention as a result!
Earlier today the Supreme Court issued its ruling in the case of Department of Revenue of Kentucky v. Davis, stating that Kentucky's tax rules which exempt the interest earned on Kentucky muncipal bonds while taxing the interest of other state's bonds is not a violation of the so-called dormant commerce clause of the Constitution. The ruling spared what may have been a tumultuous disruption to the municipal bond market, but the Supreme Court's decision still leaves the door open for several issues...
In a press release this morning, the CFP Board announced the creation of the new "Council on Education" for the purposes of developing a model curriculum, determining continuing education requirements, reviewing course providers, and implementing a peer review process, among other things. Huh? Isn't that what the CFP Board already does!?
