Wealth Manager Web December 2008

Cover Story

• ANTICIPATING BETTER DAYS

  By Michael S. Fischer

  "1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it...

• The Pulse

  By Kathleen McBride, AdvisorOne

  During the period from October 22 to October 31, Wealth Manager polled the 2008 Top Dogs firms for their views on a broad range of...

• SCHAPIRO TO CHAIR SEC FOR OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

  By Kathleen McBride, AdvisorOne

  FINRA CEO Mary Schapiro was named SEC Chairman by the incoming Obama administration, according to The Associated Press on Dec. 18. Schapiro led FINRA through...

• Fed Funds Cut to Zero, Discount Rate Cut to 0.50%

  By Kathleen McBride, AdvisorOne

  The Federal Open Market Committee voted December 16 to cut the Fed Funds rate to "0 to 1/4%," down from a target rate of 1% established...

• CHARITABLE LEANINGS

  By Kathleen McBride, AdvisorOne

  It may be mid-December, but there is still time for clients to establish a private charitable foundation or donor-advised fund in 2008 and receive a...

• THEY CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

  By James J. Green, AdvisorOne

  While the Treasury Department of Henry Paulson drives the $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program bus that is meant to restore confidence and liquidity to...

• NO IVORY TOWER FOR THIS GROUP

  By Nancy R. Mandell

  Research from Needham, Mass.-based TowerGroup is always informative, but it would be a rare day that the firm's prolific output could be called psychic. Well, that...

• MARKET GONE SOUR? MAKE LEMONADE!

  By Nancy R. Mandell

  For high-net-worth clients, year-end tax harvesting used to be confined primarily to finding ways to ease the burdens of capital gains. Not this year--which may...

• DEFINING BUSINESS EXPENSES

  By Julian Block

  Many businesses have learned the hard way that just because they incur expenses for business reasons does not mean that those outlays automatically qualify as...

• IS IT SAFE?

  By Robert Huebscher

  In the 1976 movie "Marathon Man," Dustin Hoffman is being tortured by a Nazi war criminal played by Laurence Olivier, who asks him repeatedly, "Is...

• DIVINING INTENT

  By James Picerno

  Knowing your customers isn't critical for launching a business, but it comes in handy for staying solvent. But what about advising clients on philanthropy? How...

• STAYING ON TARGET

  By Stan Luxenburg

  These are painful days for target-date funds. During the third quarter of 2008, funds with target dates ranging from 2015 to 2029 lost an average...

• BEWARE THE DEVIL'S BARGAIN

  By Andrew McElwee

  For clients of wealth managers, the souring economy is a mixed bag. On the upside, a credit crunch gives those with lots of ready cash...

• RIGHT TIME, RIGHT TRUST

  By Gavin Morrissey, JD, LLM, Commonwealth Financial, Gavin Morrissey, JD, LLM, Commonwealth Financial

  In my day-to-day job, my primary responsibility is to consult with wealth managers about planning issues that come up and to offer planning techniques to...

• DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN

  By Staff Writer

  Long-term perspective is rarely topical in the daily chaos that is the money game--until the red ink spills anew. Perhaps there's some logic to an overwhelming...

• DESIGNING A BETTER MOUSETRAP

  By Larry E. Swedroe

  "Even the most brilliant of mathematical geniuses will never be able to tell us what the future holds. In the end, what matters is the...

• STEADY THE COURSE

  By Ben Warwick, Quantitative Equity Strategies

  It is certainly no secret that one of the most important characteristics of a comprehensive wealth management solution is an emphasis on diversification. By owning...

• THE FLIGHT TO SAFETY

  By J. Gibson Watson III, CIMA, Envestnet

  During periods of market uncertainty, investors often try to reduce risk by shifting assets from the more volatile sectors of their portfolios--usually equities--to less risky...

• THE RISK WITHIN

  By James Picerno

  Owning multiple asset classes is the foundation of sound investment strategy. As commonly analyzed and practiced, however, multi-asset class diversification may offer fewer risk management...

• STAYING INVESTED...IN YOUR BUSINESS

  By Philip Palaveev, Fusion Advisor Network

  I believe that the single biggest mistake that wealth management firms can make today is to allow themselves to panic and stop investing in their...

• WHAT ABOUT ME?

  By Susan L. Hirshman

  During these chaotic market times, many clients are struggling to stay calm and confident. Fortunately, they have you to vent to, to express their concerns...

• THE DOCTOR IS IN

  By Nancy R. Mandell

  What is it like to be a pioneer in a field that's popping? Ask Dr. Susan Massenzio, consulting psychologist at Wachovia's Calbre Division. After more...