It’s no secret to investors that annual reports filed by U.S. companies are becoming increasingly complex. Many reports in the business press over the past decade cite concern that the proliferation of required disclosures accompanying financial reports makes it difficult to decipher a company’s performance and identify factors that drive
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TOPICS / PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING
Investment planning
2010: The Year of the Roth Conversion?
This year will be the Year of the Tiger, according to Chinese custom, but it also could be remembered by investors as the Year of the Roth Conversion, a decision that can have a large impact on investors’ ability to build wealth during their lifetime and preserve wealth for beneficiaries.
Study of Financial Picture Reveals Struggles, Risky Habits
A study examining personal financial habits shows many Americans are struggling to cover their mortgage and other monthly bills, don’t have rainy day funds, and have yet to do the math on how much money they’ll need to retire. Roughly 49% of those surveyed reported having trouble paying their monthly
Lessons Learned From the Financial Crisis
Since the onset of the economic crisis last fall, many CPAs who are personal financial planning specialists have been working overtime to reassure clients overwhelmed with fear about the future and safety of their investments and to reassess and reorient investment portfolios when necessary. Members of the AICPA’s Personal Financial
CAQ Survey: Individual Investor Confidence Rises to 73%
Individual investors’ confidence in U.S. capital markets increased slightly from 2008, with 73% of investors indicating they have at least some confidence compared with 70% last year, according to a telephone survey of 1,000 investors conducted by the Center for Audit Quality and The Glover Park Group released Wednesday. This
CPA Financial Planners Assess New Risk Environment
Eighty percent of CPA financial advisers are strongly recommending a mix of growth and income securities for their clients, according to an online survey of members of the AICPA’s Personal Financial Planning Section. The survey, conducted between April 22 and June 4, showed that CPAs are re-evaluating their clients’ risk
Deducting Losses for Defrauded Investors
The financial collapse of high-profile investment institutions has generated billions of dollars of losses. A recent report notes that federal and state prosecutors “are preparing for a surge of prosecutions of financial fraud.”1 A question may arise as to whether these losses for tax purposes are to be treated as
Rules Seek to Keep Mutual Fund Investors Informed
The SEC finalized a rule requiring mutual funds to provide investors with a concise summary of the key information they need to make informed investment decisions. The new summary prospectus will appear at the front of a fund’s prospectus. The SEC also approved a new rule that permits sending a
SEC Finalizes Summary Prospectus Requirements for Mutual Funds
The SEC finalized a rule requiring mutual funds to provide investors with a concise summary of the key information they need to make informed investment decisions. The new summary prospectus will appear at the front of a fund’s prospectus. The SEC also approved a new rule that permits sending a
Estate Planning: Time for a Tuneup
A CPA is in an excellent position to help clients address the issues of estate planning. CPAs are usually aware of the scope of their clients’ assets and often know something about family relationships, recent marriages, children, grandchildren and other key facts. They see their clients annually in connection with
Social Security for Two
CPA financial planners are often confronted with the question, “When should I start collecting Social Security benefits?” For married couples, the question should be asked in the plural. Current financial needs and expected life span may be paramount considerations for a single person. However, the implications of when to begin
Annuities and the Other Side of the Retirement Savings Coin
Like many of their clients, CPAs tend to consider the problem of retirement planning solved once they develop a plan for accumulating savings during the client’s working years. But as recent events have shown, panics and bear markets can add another dimension to the equation. Moreover, there is another side
AICPA Issues Liquidity Restrictions Practice Aid
The AICPA has issued a new nonauthoritative Technical Practice Aid addressing potential accounting and auditing implications of a fund or its trustee imposing restrictions on a nongovernmental entity’s ability to withdraw its balance in a money market fund or other short-term investment vehicle. TPA 1100.15, Liquidity Restrictions, covers balance sheet
Federal Circuit Issues Landmark Decision on Business Method Patents
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a long-awaited decision that could make it more challenging to patent business processes such as tax and financial strategies. In a 9-3 ruling issued on Oct. 30 in the In re Bilski case, the court stated a new, more
Does Private Equity Belong in Your Client’s Portfolio?
Faced with a slumping stock market and low-yield bond portfolios, some fund managers maybe tempted by the higher potential yields of private equity. Before leading clients to this option, advisers should ask some hard questions: R Do you understand the deal? Is the specific industry one you believe you can
Wealth Harvesting: More Than Just Retirement or Succession Planning
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The first step in developing a wealth harvesting plan is to identify the client’s departure objectives, focusing on four categories: providing for the client and the people and causes they care about; ensuring a smooth and successful succession; protecting assets; and developing tax-smart strategies. It takes a variety
Capital With a Conscience
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Private foundations must distinguish between what are sometimes called mission–related investments and program–related investments (PRIs). PRIs enable private foundations to make venture capital–type investments that might otherwise be penalized under the IRC as “jeopardizing,” that is, risky. Mission–related investments, although not technically defined, nonetheless have their
Smart Stops on the Web
WEALTH MANAGEMENT PFP CLASSES 2.0 http://pfp.aicpa.org/Events/PFP+and+PFS+Web+Seminars.htm Visit this site from the AICPA’s Personal Financial Planning Center to register for upcoming Web seminars on sophisticated IRA and AMT strategies and overcoming common challenges in PFP practices. Through the Web seminar format, participants can interact with fellow financial
Investing Dos and Don’ts for This (and Every) Market Cycle
Mark Twain wrote, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” With the recent extraordinary events that have rattled the markets and investors, it pays to heed historical precedent and apply (often forgotten) lessons to the current economic cycle. These dos and don’ts should help investors navigate the
Partnerships for Community Development
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CPAs can use their expertise to structure partnerships between long-term community investors and developers who want to contribute to improving markets without displacing current residents and local businesses. For tax purposes, forming an LLC may be the best approach to a development partnership. The partners
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FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE
Flip out with the latest Tech Q&A
The September Technology Q&A column shows how to create dynamic to-do lists with Excel's checkboxes and also how to set up multifactor authentication texts that don't rely on phones. Flip through both items and view a video walkthrough in our digital format.
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