Planning and Advice

Ensure endowments are properly funded

Last month we introduced AER readers to the Happy Valley case study , in which the wealthy widow and matriarch of the fictional microcosm community sought an advisor’s help on how to create an endowment fund to be used to improve the social and environmental conditions of the community. We’ve examined how to structure an […]

By Mark Noble |February 1, 2010

8 min read

Celebrating Advice: Measuring a clients’ needs

While most advisors quickly realized they needed to change lanes on risk-allocation, and pull the brakes on emotionally charged, recession-ravaged clients, Jeff Swanson, owner of Vancouver-based Swanson Financial Footprint, says he avoids speed bumps by keeping greed firmly in check during bull runs. “The good times are the most dangerous times and I know how […]

By Kanupriya Vashisht |February 1, 2010

4 min read

Debt’s not a dirty word

Over the last nine years, I think I’ve become pretty effective at getting my point across with my clients when I talk about debt. However, it has become somewhat automatic for me. I have no problem starting the debt conversation with anyone, really. In fact, I find it a difficult conversation NOT to have. I […]

|January 21, 2010

8 min read

Selective disclosure

Although the evidence is far from conclusive or unanimous, there are many experts who believe markets are highly efficient and certainly efficient enough that it does not make sense to try to exploit whatever mispricings might still exist. For them, fundamental and technical analysis, market timing and similar methods seem nearly useless. Although it is […]

By John De Goey |January 19, 2010

4 min read