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    Tax

    What will tax reform look like for the proactive advisor?

    Now is the time to build relationships with CPAs At this point, it seems safe to expect some form of tax reform will pass in the next several months. The House has already passed H.R. 1, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” which includes a variety of changes to the personal income tax system and significant changes to corporate taxation. The Senate has released its proposal, which doesn’t reduce the number of brackets, but does smooth the progression with level steps between each new proposed bracket. Both bills increase standard deductions, eliminate some itemized deductions, eliminate personal exemptions, and provide some sort of child/dependent tax credit. Regardless of the compromises that emerge through the political process, it is clear that there will be a need for members of the general public to understand the changes and how those changes impact their personal situations. Financial advisors will be faced with a choice – either take proactive steps to first become educated on the new laws, and then identify specific opportunities for their clients, or risk losing clients to other proactive advisors who choose the first path.
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    In The News

    How New Tax Law Will Impact How You Help Clients

    By Joe Elsasser, CFP®, president of Covisum For all the talk about how the Trump tax plan, the House plan and the Senate plan change the current tax system, there has been little talk about just how similar they are to the current structure. For mass-affluent retirees and the advisors who serve them, the future is highly similar to the past — rich with opportunities to help clients The tax plans don’t change the fundamental concepts in the current tax system. Here, we break it down by those basic concepts and explain how the different tax reform proposals would impact — or not impact — each.
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    Tax

    Help Your Clients Avoid the "Tax Torpedo"

    Social Security Timing® subscribers have helped clients save for retirement and have given them coaching on when to start taking Social Security benefits. But do you understand the impact of other income on the taxability of Social Security benefits? Understanding how different sources of income interact is critical, according to Greg Geisler in the September, 2017 Journal of Financial Services Professionals. Because of how Social Security benefits are taxed relative to other income, it can have major impacts on your client’s effective marginal tax rate.
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    Marketing

    Women need financial advisors too - shouldn't they pick you?

    By Katie Godbout, Director of Sales and Marketing It's a fact, there are more men working in the financial industry than women. According to the latest data from analytics firm Cerulli Associates, women represent 16% of all advisors. But the U.S. Census Bureau found that women represent more than 50 percent of the population. What does that mean? A whole lot of men in the financial industry need to know how to communicate with women about their finances and retirement plans. Luckily, I found someone who is doing a great job, asked some questions, and came up with these tips to help you out.
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