A news report that PayPal founder Peter Thiel had turned an ordinary Roth IRA into a $5 billion tax-free windfall was greeted first by “How can that happen?” and then by “How can I do that?!” While it’s unlikely that financial advisors can help their clients’ IRAs grow to be worth billions, there is a little-known strategy that can put a Roth IRA’s accumulation potential on steroids. That strategy is called the “Backdoor Roth IRA.” Click here to read the entire article. #Thou

SPACs (Special Purpose Acquisition Companies) have been the talk of Wall Street … and it’s little wonder why. SPAC offerings increased over 300% in 2020, raising over $83 billion. The pace accelerated in 2021, with April YTD issuance already 24% higher than all last year and nearly $100 billion in raised funds ... Click here to read the entire article. #ThoughtLeadership

Financial literacy has a predictive power in determining how well an individual can meet an unexpected expense or how likely someone is to save enough for retirement. A financial literacy gap not only points to a disparity in financial satisfaction, but it is a leading contributor to economic inequities. Our public schools continue to fall short on educating children about critically important personal financial topics. In a recent survey of states, only 21 states required hi

Financial advisors now have a new arrow in their quiver for their small employer retirement plan business—the pooled employer plan (PEP). PEPs are the creation of the SECURE Act and are designed to help small businesses offer retirement plans at a significantly lower administrative and expense burden. Click here to read the entire article. #ThoughtLeadership

All systems follow some common rules—they evolve toward complexity, they tend toward chaos, and they must accomplish some form of adapting or perish. Like nature, governments and economies, businesses are subject to the same iron laws of all systems. In today’s environment we see a centerpiece rule being played out—amid a changing environment, the survivors will be those that find a way to adapt. Fortunately, nature has perfected the process of adapting to change over million

Data is an asset. In today’s digital world, it has more value than 20th-century assets, such as buildings and equipment. The future will belong to those companies that elevate their ability to collect, analyze and gain insight from data to improve the customer experience and gain market share. Smart organizations, of course, have always been data driven. What is different today is the means for gathering, the amount available and the unprecedented growth rate of data being ge

With mortgage rates nearly 100 bps lower today than in the first quarter of 20191, many of your clients may be considering refinancing their current mortgage. If they haven’t already discussed refinancing, it may be a good idea for you to start that conversation. Click here to read the entire article. #ThoughtLeadership

Are your clients’ portfolios positioned for the profound changes that are likely to affect every investment they own, as well as the very foundation of our financial system? In a provocative white paper published by BNY Mellon Investment Management, Future 2024: Future-Proofing Your Asset Allocation in the Age of Mega Trends, two secular trends were identified that will reshape the asset management industry and require financial advisors to consider future-proofing their clie

Renewable energy represented 72 percent of all new power generation in 2019 and is estimated to grow another 50 percent by 2024.1 Many of the estimates made for its growth, however, were made prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse in oil prices. Worries are building that with cheaper oil and a sustained disruption in global supply chains, renewable energy may lose momentum. Click here to read the entire article. #ThoughtLeadership

Seinfeld, the classic comedy show, found humor in the mundane. The show’s unique perspective produced memorable story lines and spawned a vernacular that still endures. Surprisingly, the show also offered a wealth of investment wisdom. Click here to read the entire article. #ThoughtLeadership