Personal financial planning news and resources

TOPICS

April 2, 2020

Social Security recipients will automatically receive stimulus payments

The IRS announced that Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefit recipients will not have to file a tax return to receive the $1,200 stimulus payment provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

March 16, 2020

Talk to tax clients about what’s really on their minds

A CPA discusses how best to present additional services to tax clients without coming off as pushy or aggressive.

March 10, 2020

Calming clients’ fears during the coronavirus outbreak

How can CPAs deal with client anxieties during a time of uncertainty? The best steps include preparing them for unexpected events before they happen and acknowledging their concerns.

March 4, 2020

Emotional impact of elder abuse outweighs the financial toll

Fraud and financial abuse harm clients psychologically more than they do financially, according to the AICPA Personal Financial Planning Trends Survey.

March 1, 2020

How to identify and report health care fraud

Health care fraud is an important and complicated challenge for clients. CPAs can be instrumental in helping clients detect, report, and prevent health care fraud.

March 1, 2020

Financial planning: Remember to plan for risk

CPA financial planners must carefully document for clients all risks associated with recommended investments.

February 18, 2020

CPAs need to watch these health care pricing rules

New rules are designed to make health care pricing more transparent, and CPA financial planners could use that information to help clients make more informed decisions.

January 23, 2020

Americans’ financial satisfaction at all-time high

Americans’ financial satisfaction hit an all-time high in the fourth quarter of 2019. Stock market gains coupled with declines in underemployment and loan delinquencies helped lift the index to new heights.

January 21, 2020

The financial and human cost of loneliness in retirement

Isolation and loneliness can have serious emotional, social, and financial consequences, and can contribute to declines in clients’ physical and mental health and quality of life.

January 1, 2020

How to guard client finances against dementia

Cognitive impairment adds a difficult layer of complexity to a client’s financial plans. Here are steps CPAs can take to protect clients with dementia against fraud.

January 1, 2020

Proceeding into retirement

CPAs describe how they made a successful transition at the end of their careers.

December 20, 2019

Qualified opportunity zone regs. finalized

The IRS issued final regulations providing guidance on tax-favored investments in qualified opportunity zones (QOZs).

December 9, 2019

Government report finds deficiencies in most US hospices

Advise clients to do their research before choosing hospice care.

December 1, 2019

Helping clients after they are divorced

CPAs should review several key financial planning steps with newly single clients.

December 1, 2019

Keep clients coming to you with PFP services

A tax practice can weather demographic and technological changes by expanding its reach in financial planning. Tax knowledge gives CPAs an advantage when it comes to financial planning because almost every aspect of financial planning involves tax.

November 25, 2019

5 steps to a successful sale

Fentress Seagroves, deals partner for the U.S. with PwC, outlines the steps business owners can take to ensure a successful transition and discusses the many ways CPAs can support them during this process.

November 6, 2019

Retirement plan contribution limits increase for 2020

Annual contribution limits for 401(k) plans will increase from $19,000 in 2019 to $19,500 in 2020, and most other limits are increasing as well.

November 1, 2019

Planning for Medicare taxes, premiums, and surcharges

Don’t neglect these basic health care considerations in clients’ retirement planning.

October 24, 2019

Financial satisfaction stays high, but economic concerns remain

Despite fears about the economy, Americans’ personal financial satisfaction stayed high in the third quarter of 2019, according to the PFSi, a proprietary economic indicator calculated quarterly by the AICPA.

October 1, 2019

Tillery receives PFP Distinguished Service Award

Susan Tillery, president and co-founder of Paraklete Financial Inc., received the AICPA’s 2019 Personal Financial Planning (PFP) Distinguished Service Award.

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

4 ways solo practitioners can stand out

Five years ago, a grieving Angel Zhen started his own CPA firm with no clients and no revenue. Today, he has 300 clients, $600,000 in revenue and 12 weeks of annual vacation. In this JofA article, he shares how he set up his firm and how you could do the same.