Fourth Quarter 2010|Jim Williams| You may recall that when Congress enacted the Dodd- Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the act included a requirement that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) study the need for regulation of financial planners. Well, the study was just released. Most industry observers believe that the study falls short.
Third Quarter 2010|Jim Williams| The markets we’ve been through over the last three years have left investors uncertain and a bit shell shocked. Our intuition tells us that something has changed since we have just been through something big and ugly.
Second Quarter 2010|Jim Williams| I’ve been quite busy over the last three months attending to the affairs of my Uncle Frank who died in April. This has been quite a learning experience for someone who holds themselves out as a planner and who advises clients on matters of estate planning and preparation.
First Quarter 2010|Jim Williams| Zweig delves into the inner workings of the human brain as decisions about finances and money are processed. This is a fascinating subject.
Fourth Quarter 2009|Jim Williams| 2010 is the year of Roth. The tax rules contain special provisions for 2010 for Roth conversions. This column should give you a head start on our current thinking on the matter.
Third Quarter 2009|Jim Williams| This last year has been a searing experience for investors (and investment advisors). The scary panic- driven declines from September into early March brought talk of a return to a Great Depression-like economy. Fear was palpable, and financial markets responded to the nightmare scenario by driving stocks to the lowest level in years.