Attend Live Events with the Kitces Team and Industry Experts

Change is constant, yet navigating through it is often a challenge for individuals, especially during pivotal financial moments. In this webinar, Meghaan Lurtz, Ph.D., FBS™ equips advisors with the tools and frameworks to become effective agents of change leveraging the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) to guide clients through the complexities of financial decision-making. She explores real-world case studies, uncovers techniques to manage client ambivalence, and develops strategies to foster client confidence and self-efficacy. Advisors will learn how to:

• Analyze client behaviors and decision-making processes using the Transtheoretical Model of Change.  
• Evaluate the role of ambivalence in financial planning and its impact on client outcomes.  
• Design personalized strategies that increase client self-efficacy and decision confidence.  
• Apply techniques from modern coaching and behavioral science to support clients in overcoming financial inertia.  
• Create structured financial planning sessions that incorporate reflective questioning and scenario analysis.  

Jeff Levine reviews the impact of the Final Regulations on IRA beneficiaries. He reviews the advantages and disadvantages of using a trust as an IRA beneficiary. Jeff further explains the lifecycle of IRA trusts, detailing how they are established, funded, and administered. He concludes with the top five mistakes to avoid when creating IRA trusts. Advisors will learn how to: 

• Describe IRA beneficiary types and post-death distribution schedule options for IRA balances post-death 
• Determine the distribution options available for IRAs with trust beneficiaries  
• Evaluate when naming a trust as an IRA beneficiary would meet the needs of a client  
• Explain how conduit and discretionary IRA trusts function after the SECURE Act and Final Regulations, along with common pitfalls to avoid  
• Discuss trust planning opportunities available after the Final Regulations and mistakes to avoid 

Martin Shenkman explains the vital role financial advisors can play in assisting clients with estate planning without venturing into the unauthorized practice of law. Shenkman will share practical approaches to provide service offerings such as estate planning summaries, client account titling, power of attorney management, and how revocable trusts can be used to minimize the risks of elder abuse. During this webinar, advisors will learn how to:

• Identify post-2024 election estate planning opportunities.
• Describe the impacts of vague or incorrect account titles and tax ID numbers, and how to address them.
• Explain the benefits of having a power of attorney and outline common mistakes.
• Highlight provisions that may make revocable trusts better tools for clients to minimize the risks of elder abuse.

John Nersesian walks through the circumstances that can lead clients to have concentrated stock positions and how to manage their related pitfalls. He provides strategies on how to control assets, preserve value and gain liquidity using restricted stock sales, zero premium collars, and exchange funds to help mitigate the risks associated with those concentrated positions based on client objectives. During this webinar, advisors will learn how to:

• Explain concentration risk to clients who may have an emotional connection to the stock. 
• Identify situations that may lead a client to have a concentrated stock position, and the obstacles associated with planning for that stock. 
• Apply strategies including restricted stock sales, zero premium collars, and exchange funds.  
• Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing charitable giving to meet a client’s objective of transferring wealth while also addressing concentrated stock. 

David Haughton, JD, CPWA® walks through three common methods of gifting (direct gifts, gifts in trusts, and gifts to 529 plans) along with their respective benefits, common pitfalls, tax implications, and gift tax reporting requirements. During this webinar, advisors will learn how to:

• Discuss the major gift tax “exemptions” and how the sunset of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) may impact them.   
• Explain common gifting methods along with the benefits, downsides, and potential tax implications of each.   
• Assess when a gift would require a client to file a gift tax return, when a client may benefit from filing a gift tax return even if it is not required, and the nuances of valuing gifts for a Form 709 filing.   
• Structure gifts to plan for basis, minimize tax liabilities, and effectively avoid or utilize gift reporting based on the nature of the gift and the client’s unique gifting needs.   

In this Office Hours, join Philip Palaveev, owner and CEO of The Ensemble Practice, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, as they conduct an “advisor career tracks makeover” of 2 advisory firms, who will share the career tracks that exist within their advisory firms, and receive real-time feedback on their strategy. In this event, advisors will learn: 

• Different approaches to structuring career tracks 
• What to consider when establishing thresholds to advance, and compensation levels 
• How to integrate the career track into the overall firm 

In this webinar, Dr. Russell James gives a masterclass on his top 10 rules for charitable planning for clients with charitable intentions. Starting with his number 1 rule of never donating cash and delving into more advanced charitable giving strategies such as charitable swapping, using retained life estate deeds, and creating charitable trusts. He will further explain ways to utilize charitable planning to offset income-producing events, such as required minimum distributions (RMDs) and Roth conversions. Advisors will learn how to:

• Evaluate the benefits and downsides of gifting various types of assets, such as cash, appreciated assets, and collectibles.  
• Describe the rules and benefits of utilizing qualified charitable deductions.  
• Incorporate methods that create an immediate charitable deduction to offset income-producing events, such as Roth conversions.   
• Plan with advanced charitable giving strategies, such as charitable swapping and the use of charitable trusts.   
• Explain options for maintaining wealth for multiple generations utilizing charitable planning tactics.    

Michael Finke, Ph.D., CFP® walks us through the latest research on retiree happiness, highlighting other areas where clients should invest to secure their future life satisfaction. Topics discussed include the impacts of relationships on retiree happiness, cognitive decline’s relationship with investment performance, and the factors associated with having a higher likelihood of overspending or underspending in retirement. Michael provides strategies that advisors can use to ensure that once they help clients prepare for retirement financially, they can also help them prepare to actually enjoy it.  Advisors will learn how to:

• Identify trends in life satisfaction during retirement   
• Initiate client conversations to plan for a fulfilling retirement, including setting lifestyle and legacy goals  
• Explain the impact of relationships on retiree happiness   
• Anticipate the physical and cognitive decline of aging clients and understand the potential impacts on their behavior as an investor   

Join Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com where he’ll walk through the range of year-end tax-related opportunities and pitfalls for advisors and their clients, as well as key planning topics for advisors to consider as we move into 2025! Advisors will learn:    

• How to apply the wide range of year-end tax planning opportunities to a variety of client situations    
• How changes to tax rules will affect end-of-year planning for 2024  
• What the current inflationary environment means for clients’ tax, retirement, and insurance planning needs going forward   

At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions live! Advisors will learn:     

• The core functionalities of each software  
• The unique and differentiating features offered by each software   
• How the software integrates with other tech 
• The pricing for individual advisors and firms 
• Answers to whatever other questions you may have!     

Barbara Kay, MA, LPC, RCC, TIPC, President, Barbara Kay Coaching explains how advisors can quickly assess their client’s personality types and how to connect with and calm clients based on their unique needs. Barbara explains the scenarios that may cause clients stress and provides context around how stress can present itself depending on their personality type. Advisors will learn how to:

• Understand how the Big 5 personality types relate to DiSC styles
• Identity DiSC styles, both personally and among clients
• Adapt and effectively connect with clients
• Identify which triggers and biases may impact clients
• Apply financial counseling techniques to communicate effectively when a client is experiencing emotional upheaval

Join Angie Herbers, Chief Executive and Senior Consultant, Herbers & Company, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, as they conduct an “advisor service calendar makeover” of 2 advisory firms, who will share the service calendars for their advisory firms and receive real-time feedback on their strategy to gain an understanding of what provides the greatest value (or not!) when it comes to providing service to their clients.  Advisors will learn:  

• Various styles of service calendars  
• How a service calendar can communicate ongoing value and serve as a client engagement tool  
• How to populate the calendar and which tools can be used to produce one  

David Nadig takes advisors through a deep dive into how the ETF market has developed, areas that advisors should actually be concerned about and continue to monitor, and trends that will impact the future of ETF investing. This presentation also features a review of tools and metrics that advisors can use to conduct ETF due diligence, along with a specific list of tools with their pros and cons, including a walkthrough of some commonly used and affordable options.  Advisors will learn: 

• The current state of the ETF industry   
• How ETFs are created, redeemed, and their unique characteristics when making choices about utilizing them in a client portfolio  
• How to evaluate platforms to obtain information necessary to complete due diligence on ETFs based on your needs as an advisor and the clients you serve  
• Aspects of the ETF market that may be cause for concern or monitoring in the future  
• Market trends that will impact the future of ETF investing  

Martin Shenkman, CPA, MBA, PFS, AEP (distinguished), JD, will explain the background of the CTA, the scope, filing requirements, reporting exceptions, and the people who need to report. Throughout the webinar, Shenkman will highlight the practical role advisors can fill in educating clients about CTA requirements, while providing helpful information regarding making compliance less cumbersome, all while avoiding unauthorized practice of law issues. Advisors will learn:

• Which clients may be affected by the Corporate Transparency Act, considering unique circumstances like trust ownership.   
• How to develop a plan for educating clients on the Corporate Transparency Act and how to file.  
• The various information that reporting companies will be required to provide to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act.   

The September Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from 4 Compliance Software vendors that equip advisors with the tools they need to manage staying compliant: Holistiplan, TaxStatus, Tax Clarity, and FP Alpha. At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions live! Advisors will learn:

• The core functionalities of each software
• The unique and differentiating features offered by each software
• How the software integrates with other tech
• The pricing for individual advisors and firms
• Answers to whatever other questions you may have!

At this Kitces webinar, Carolyn McClanahan, M.D., CFP® gives advisors the inside scoop on coding in medical records and their impact on client medical histories, common illnesses and their impact on insurability, and how to proactively plan for insurance applications to minimize insurance premiums for clients.  Advisors will learn: 

• How to make the process of applying for individual insurance smoother  
• How to talk with clients about common illnesses and how they could impact individual insurance premiums, plus ways to reduce these impacts  
• How life insurance companies evaluate and rate individuals with osteoarthritis, depression, and other chronic conditions   
• Which variables such as gender, age, and specific health conditions affect eligibility and premium rates for disability insurance and long-term care   

In this webinar, Robert Keebler explains how recent tax measures can provide retirement account holders with tax relief and support during challenging circumstances and how recent tax court proceedings and PLRs have provided clarification around tax laws. During this presentation, Keebler also delves into strategy for the future with a discussion of planning for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act sunset and post-mortem distribution planning for retirement accounts. Advisors will learn: 

• How recent tax measures have provided tax relief for retirement account holders  
• Which tax law clarifications have been provided on the management of individual retirement accounts  
• The benefits and considerations of using Roth conversions as a planning strategy for the sunset of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act  
• The impact of SECURE Act 2.0 on retirement accounts for retirees and retirement saver 
• How to plan for post-mortem retirement accounts distributions considering SECURE Act 1.0  

This webinar will explain how Original Medicare differs from Medicare Advantage, and provide checklists and guidelines advisors can use to help clients make this all-important decision. Advisors will learn: 

• How Medicare Advantage plans function compared to Original Medicare 
• Understanding the key factors in a client’s personal situation that would point to one form of Medicare over the other 
• A typical client’s experience of Original Medicare compared to Medicare Advantage 
• The factors advisors should be aware of after making the Medicare choice that can impact the flexibility of a client’s overall plan 

In this Office Hours, join Taylor Schulte, founder of Define Financial and co-founder of The AGC Community, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, as they conduct an “email marketing funnel makeover” of 2 advisory firms, who will share the email marketing funnels for their advisory firms, and receive real-time feedback on their strategy to gain an understanding of what provides the greatest ROI (or not!) when it comes to email marketing funnels. Advisors will learn: 

• How to build a marketing list using lead magnets and CTAs 
• What content can be sent to lists, and how to create that content 
• How to convert a leads list into prospects through various action prompts 

In this webinar, Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, AIF, CWS®, MSA, digs deep into the “new” 10-Year Rule to help financial planners identify strategies for helping clients make the most of the retirement accounts their heirs may inherit.  Advisors will learn: 

• Identify the situations in which a beneficiary must take annual RMDs from an inherited retirement account. 
• Explore critical changes to the rules that govern trusts as beneficiaries of retirement accounts 
• Determine the rules that apply successor beneficiaries 

The May Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from 4 Compliance Software vendors that equip advisors with the tools they need to manage staying compliant: COMPLY, Advisor Assist, SmartRIA, and Orion Compliance. At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions live! Advisors will learn:

• The core functionalities of each software;
• The unique and differentiating features offered by each software;
• How the software integrates with other tech;
• The pricing for individual advisors and firms; and
• Answers to whatever other questions you may have!

Join us as expert Michael Kothakota discusses how financial planners can position themselves to support clients facing divorce. He'll cover strategies to navigate the ethical and emotional aspects of divorce planning, ensuring that planners are well-equipped to provide the best possible guidance during such a challenging time.  Advisors will learn: 

• The main considerations around custody, support, and asset division that advisors need to understand 
• What to consider when determining if it’s ethical to work with a client couple facing divorce  
• Which steps to take when a client couple states they are getting divorced 
• What additional resources are available that can support you and your clients during divorce 

At this Kitces Webinar, Michael Kitces will discuss best practices for rebalancing, as well as what the benefits and risks are of rebalancing at all. Michael will introduce a Tolerance Band approach to rebalancing that advisors can implement to reduce transaction costs and manage risk. Advisors will learn: 

• How rebalancing affects returns and risk 
• What makes rebalancing worth it at the end of the day 
• How to apply a Tolerance Band approach to rebalancing 
• And more! 

Financial Management Consultant Kelli Cruz of Cruz Consulting Group, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, will conduct a ‘financial makeover’ of 2 advisory firms, who will share the advisory compensation plans for their ensemble advisory firms, and receive real-time feedback on the nature of their compensation structure, to gain an understanding of what is really ‘normal’ (or not!) when it comes to the advisor compensation expenses of an advisory firm! Advisors will learn: 

• How to align the compensation of the entire firm 
• How to connect the dots between the vision, the talent, and how the firm actually works 
• How to provide incentives for business performance 

Join us for a webinar where Joe Messinger, CFP®, offers valuable insights on how financial planners can facilitate more effective discussions between parents and their children regarding college funding. The webinar covers various crucial aspects, including school selection, essential applications and formulas, and strategies for reducing college costs. Joe elaborates on specific methods to optimize clients' financial resources for college expenses, incorporating tuition discounts, tax optimization opportunities, lending strategies, and scholarships. Advisors will learn: 

• Which unique challenges affluent clients may face when planning for college expenses 
• How to facilitate conversations about higher education planning and school selection with clients and their students 
• Which tax strategies are associated with education planning 
• How to analyze student financial aid packages to determine which loans would benefit the client and discuss opportunities to appeal 

Join us at this Kitces webinar, where Derek Tharp discusses what the probability of success metric truly means and its shortcomings, especially when considering ongoing planning. Derek will share insights on the adjustment-based guardrails method, and present practical approaches to reframe retirement income planning to reduce the likelihood of underspending, while helping clients enjoy their retirement fully. Advisors will learn: 

• Why underspending is a common issue for financial planning clients  
• How to understand the shortcomings of a Monte Carlo analysis 
• How to analyze the differences between retirement spending calculation methods  
• How to better frame retirement income planning conversations with clients  

At this Kitces Monthly webinar, Ben Henry-Moreland, Senior Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com, will walk advisors through a detailed explanation of the planning considerations of HSA ownership starting from contribution eligibility to distribution rules, to transferring assets in an HSA at death. Ben will discuss how to strategically utilize an HSA to plan for current medical needs, take advantage of tax-free growth, and coordinate benefits with spouses and adult children.  Advisors will learn: 

• What to consider when navigating HSA contributions, distributions, and transfers 
• How to strategically utilize an HSA for current medical needs 
• How to take advantage of the tax-free growth in HSAs 
• And more! 

The May Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from 4 Estate Planning Software vendors that equip advisors with the tools they need to manage their clients’ estate planning: MoneyGuide Wealth Studios, Vanilla, Yourefolio, and FP Alpha. Representatives from each software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions live! You'll gain insights into:

• The core functionalities of each software
• Unique features that set them apart
• Integration capabilities with other tech tools
• Pricing options for each software
• And answers to whatever other questions you may have!

At this Kitces Monthly webinar, experts Eric Ludwig, PhD, CFP®, and Chett Bennetts, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, RICP®,CLF® will showcase practical examples of how ChatGPT can revolutionize advisors' practices, expand their capabilities, and enhance the efficiencies that ultimately benefit their clients. In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• The uses of generative AI in practical applications for financial advisors 
• How to use prompt engineering to create financial planning outputs 
• How to identify the limitations of ChatGPT 
• And more! 

In this Office Hours, practice management consultant Angie Herbers of Herbers & Company, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, will conduct a ’financial makeover’ of 2 advisory firms, who will share their business financials and receive real-time feedback on the nature of their income, expenses, and various staff and other costs, to gain an understanding of what is really 'normal' (or not!) when it comes to the revenue, expenses, and profitability of an advisory firm! At this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How much revenue should go towards advisor versus other staff expenses 
• What is a reasonable amount to spend on marketing 
• What are typical technology costs for an advisory firm 
• What should the profit margin be for an advisory firm as it grows and scales up 

In this Kitces Monthly webinar, Tim Steffen, CPA/PFS, CFP®, CPWA® demystifies taxation rules on bonds that can be easily overlooked, such as the tax treatment on bonds purchased on the Original Issue Date versus bonds purchased later on the secondary market, how the taxation of interest income differs across different bond types, and how bond funds are taxed. For each unique bond scenario, Tim will share options for how applicable taxes on bonds can be reported and review the forms used for tax reporting. In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• The range of bond types available for advisors and their clients and the different methods for purchasing them 
• How to decipher the common tax forms clients will receive throughout bond ownership 
• The taxation of different types of bonds during ownership, when sold, and at maturity 

In this Kitces Monthly webinar, Michael Finke, Professor of Wealth Management at The American College of Financial Services, explains the concept of creating a goal-based retirement income plan, which can provide retirees with more flexibility in their retirement income plan while balancing their lifestyle and legacy goals. In this webinar, Finke demonstrates the need for spending adjustments and provides a simple 4-step framework advisors can use to discuss products that reduce longevity risk.  In this webinar, advisors will learn:

• The fundamental principles of goal-based retirement planning 
• The limitations of traditional withdrawal strategies and failure rates in retirement income planning 
• How to apply a four-step retirement income plan to address client preferences, objectives and income tradeoffs 
• How to apply a goal-based strategy to help clients select investments and financial products 

At this Kitces monthly webinar, David Haughton, JD, CPWA®, explains how to create flexible estate plans with trusts that go beyond the traditional AB trust structure. He also details how a 'kitchen sink' power of attorney, IRA beneficiary designations, and donor-advised funds can be utilized for flexible wealth transfers. In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• The current legislative changes that could impact client estate plans 
• How to select trust structures and distribution options to balance control and flexibility  
• Which estate planning techniques can be used beyond trusts for planning versatility 

The March Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from 4 Marketing Software vendors that equip advisors with the tools they need to manage their marketing: FMG Suite, AdvisorStream, Wealth I/O, and Snappy Kraken. At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions live! At this event, advisors will learn:    

• The core functionalities of each software;   
• The unique and differentiating features offered by each software ;  
• How the software integrates with other tech;   
• The pricing for individual advisors and firms; and  
• Answers to whatever other questions you may have!    

Join us at this Kitces Monthly Webinar, where expert guest, Dr. Meghaan Lurtz, will share varied forms of follow-up questions and how to use them in introduction meetings, discovery meetings, and plan presentation meetings. In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How to leverage what's occurring in the brain when a follow-up question is asked 
• The varied structures of follow-up questions 
• How to use different types of follow-up questions in various planning meetings 
• And more! 

In this Kitces Monthly webinar, Daniel Zajac, CFP®, EA, provides a review of ISOs, explains how to decide on a client strategy for exercising ISOs based on a client’s situation and the status of the issuing company, and details how to calculate the potential tax impact of exercising and selling ISOs, including navigating alternative minimum tax. Zajac concludes this webinar with a discussion of how to start conversations with clients about their incentive stock options and build a plan that aligns with their overall goals.  In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How to calculate the tax impact of exercising incentive stock options 
• How to analyze “exercise and sell” and “exercise and hold” strategies 
• What to consider when providing comprehensive planning to clients with incentive stock options 
• And more! 

Join us in February for Kitces Office Hours where Michael Kitces and expert guest Taylor Schulte, host of the Experiments in Advisor Marketing podcast and founder of Define Financial, will review website examples shared by real advisors and discuss best practices in how to generate prospects from your advisor website. In this Office Hours session, the experts will discuss: 

• How to win trust by creating a prospect-friendly advisor website experience 
• How to tailor your website for your target market 
• How to incorporate meaningful CTAs 
• And anything else you want to know about advisor websites! 

At this Kitces monthly webinar, Jeff Levine explains key QSBS concepts and provides practical tips advisors can apply to help clients take advantage of this unique planning opportunity. Advisors will learn:  

• Essential Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) rules  
• How to identify what makes a client the “right business owner-client” to take advantage of a QSBS strategy   
• The options available for preserving QSBS treatment for sales prior to the 5-year required holding period  
• How to “convert” a non-QSBS business to a QSBS business  
• The pros and cons of incorporating a QSBS strategy into a client’s financial plan  

Join us at this Kitces Monthly webinar where PIMCO’s Head of Advisor Education, John Nersesian, will discuss the nuances of various charitable giving strategies and provide an update on current trends in charitable giving and how to engage with clients on discussions around family philanthropy. In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How the SECURE Act 2.0 affects charitable giving strategies 
• The mechanics of charitable trusts (CLT, CRT, CRUT, CRAT) 
• How to convert a private foundation into a donor advised fund 
• And much more!  

The January Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from 4 Portfolio Management software vendors that equip advisors with the information they need to advise clients on their investments: Panoramix, Altruist, Morningstar, and iRebal. 

At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions live! At this event, advisors will learn:   

• The core functionalities of each software;  
• The unique and differentiating features offered by each software ; 
• How the software integrates with other tech;  
• The pricing for individual advisors and firms; and 
• Answers to whatever other questions you may have!   

Join us at the January 2nd Kitces Monthly webinar where Kitces Senior Financial Planning Nerd, Ben Henry-Moreland, will share a framework for the types of advice to give and the language to use when communicating strategies to clients that can reduce the confusion of being obliged to provide guidance on taxes while being prohibited from giving actual tax advice. In this webinar, advisors will learn:

• The limitations of providing tax advice as a financial planner
• The difference between "tax planning" and "tax advice"
• Best practices to add value with tax planning

In this Office Hours, join Philip Palaveev, owner and CEO of The Ensemble Practice, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, as they conduct an “advisor career tracks makeover” of 2 advisory firms, who will share the career tracks that exist within their advisory firms, and receive real-time feedback on their strategy. In this event, advisors will learn: 

• Different approaches to structuring career tracks 
• What to consider when establishing thresholds to advance and compensation levels 
• How to integrate the career track into the overall firm 

At this Kitces monthly webinar, Martin M. Shenkman, CPA, MBA, PFS, AEP (distinguished), JD explains the role that advisors can play in ensuring that their client’s estate plans remain relevant in our ever-changing world. Martin provides practical issues advisors can look for and potential solutions to common issues with old yet common estate planning strategies.  At this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How changes in tax law have impacted the relevancy of some estate planning strategies, such as bypass trusts.  
• How to examine a client’s existing estate plan to evaluate if their estate is still appropriate for their needs 
• What can cause clients to outgrow their existing estate plan and what can be done to address it 

Join Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com, for our Special Edition Kitces Webinar where he’ll walk through the range of year-end tax-related opportunities and pitfalls for advisors and their clients, as well as key planning topics for advisors to consider as we move into 2024! In this webinar, advisors will learn:   

• How to apply the wide range of year-end tax planning opportunities to a variety of client situations   
• How changes to tax rules will affect end-of-year planning 
• What the current inflationary environment means for clients’ tax, retirement, and insurance planning needs going forward  

Curating a well-suited tech stack can be a daunting task for many advisors. To make this process easier for advisors who are considering the implementation of new software, our Kitces Software Showcase highlights 4 popular solutions vendors of the same category in a side-by-side comparison, for 15–20 minutes each. This allows advisors to get an efficient comparison of their key features, narrowing them down to the final 1 or 2 choices that they may want to do further vetting.    

The November Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from 4 Portfolio Management software vendors that equip advisors with the information they need to advise clients on their investments: Orion, Black Diamond, Tamarac, and Advyzon. 

At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions live! At this event, advisors will learn:   

• The core functionalities of each software;  
• The unique and differentiating features offered by each software ; 
• How the software integrates with other tech;  
• The pricing for individual advisors and firms; and 
• Answers to whatever other questions you may have!   

Financial advisors will inevitably work with clients facing turbulence related to their finances, whether it is a loss of personal job or stress about a market downturn. In these situations, financial advisors might attempt to act as rationally as possible, and encourage their clients to do the same. However, because the human brain is not wired to move between stress and rationality quickly, such an approach can backfire, and the client can feel as though their concerns are not being heard by their advisor.  

At this Kitces Monthly Webinar, join licensed clinical psychologist Barbara Kay as she discusses the neuroscience of anxiety, techniques advisors can use to communicate with a client facing stress, and potential pitfalls to avoid when working with clients during turbulent times.   

At this webinar, advisors will learn:  

• How advisors can prevent the “emotional contagion” that can make them feel stressed when working with an anxious client.  
• How to apply a 3-step process to help clients de-escalate when facing a stressful situation.  
• How to avoid potential pitfalls that can derail a conversation with a client experiencing stress.  

In this Office Hours, join Stephanie Bogan, founder of Limitless Advisor, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, as they conduct an “advisor service calendar makeover” of 2 advisory firms, who will share the service calendars for their advisory firms, and receive real-time feedback on their strategy to gain an understanding of what provides the greatest value (or not!) when it comes to providing service to their clients. 

At this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• Various styles of service calendars 
• How a service calendar can communicate ongoing value and serve as a client engagement tool 
• How to populate the calendar and which tools can be used to produce one 

A Special 1.5 Hour CE Webinar Event. Join Carolyn McClanahan, founder of Life Planning Partners, at the October Kitces Monthly Webinar, where she will discuss the real-life challenges faced by planners and their clients around meeting healthcare needs in retirement, including pre-planning before a medical event occurs to ensure the client’s goals are communicated with and supported by family and health care providers, deciding who will provide care (be it family members, friends, or professional help) and how they will be paid, and learning what government assistance programs may be available to help with the cost of care.  

At this Kitces Monthly Webinar, advisors will learn:  

• How to agree on and prepare an Advance Medical Directive  
• What factors should be considered when deciding on who will provide care   
• How to decide whether to receive care at home or in an assisted living or skilled care facility  
• How to get the most out of the available benefits from a Long-Term Care Insurance policy  
• What assistance government programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and VA can provide  

The September Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from 4 Investment Research software vendors that equip advisors with the information they need to advise clients on their investments: YCharts, FactSet, Koyfin, and Kwanti. 

At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions live! At this event, advisors will learn:   

• The core functionalities of each software 
• The unique and differentiating features offered by each software  
• How the software integrates with other tech  
• The pricing for individual advisors and firms
• And answers to whatever other questions you may have!   

Join Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces at the September Kitces Monthly Webinar, where he’ll share techniques to maximize Roth contributions, including “Backdoor Roth” IRAs and “Mega Backdoor Roth” 401(k) strategies, leveraging the Roth recharacterization rules to optimally fill lower tax brackets, and being able to ensure that an investment in a Roth has a positive return before being required to commit to it! 

At this Kitces Monthly Webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How to calculate the amount of after-tax contributions needed to equal the same amount of pre-tax contributions given various tax rates and pre-tax contribution amounts 
• The mechanics of the “Backdoor” Roth IRA strategy and considerations for using it 
• The rules for successfully implementing a Mega “Backdoor” Roth IRA Strategy 
• How to create additional tax planning flexibility using partial Roth conversion 

Advisors lean on a variety of digital marketing strategies to attract clients. One popular strategy used by advisors is email marketing. And to achieve great results when building prospect lists that ultimately convert into clients, advisors must build a thoughtful email marketing funnel that accounts for list-building, list-engagement, and list-conversion. 

In this Office Hours, join Taylor Schulte, founder of Define Financial and co-founder of The AGC Community, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, as they conduct an “email marketing funnel makeover” of 2 advisory firms, who will share the email marketing funnels for their advisory firms, and receive real-time feedback on their strategy to gain an understanding of what provides the greatest ROI (or not!) when it comes to email marketing funnels. 

At this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How to build a marketing list using lead magnets and CTAs 
• What content can be sent to lists, and how to create that content 
• How to convert a leads list into prospects through various action prompts 

Join Derek Tharp, Lead Researcher at Kitces.com as he discusses risk-based guardrails as a way to better guide flexible income planning for retirees, and the levers that can be adjusted in setting proper (risk-based) guardrails for retirement income. 

At this Kitces Monthly Webinar, advisors will learn: 

• What the risk-based guardrails approach is and its advantages 
• How guardrail strategies actually perform in the real world 
• Which levers really matter in a risk-based guardrails plan 
• The practical considerations of using risk-based guardrail parameters to manage dynamic income for retirees 

 The July Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from 4 customer relationship management (CRM) software vendors that help advisors manage the firm’s relationships and interactions with clients and prospects: Redtail, Wealthbox, AdvisorEngine, and Advyzon. 

At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each CRM software company will provide a tour of their software, then answer advisor questions live! At this event, advisors will learn:   

• the core functionalities of each CRM solution   
• the unique and differentiating features offered by each software  
• how the software integrates with other tech    
• the pricing for individual advisors and firms    
• and answers to whatever other questions you may have!   

Join Lead Financial Planning Nerd, Jeff Levine, at the July Kitces Monthly webinar, where you’ll take a deep dive into some of the more challenging aspects of 529 planning.  

In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• An overview of key 529 plan rules 
• Tax consequences of changing 529 plan owners and/or beneficiaries 
• The impact of ownership decisions on student aid 
• Trust-owned 529 plans considerations and the “Dynasty 529 Plan” 
• State tax complications created by recent changes to the Federal tax rules 
• SECURE 2.0’s 529-to-Roth IRA transfers and the “Sweet 16 Roth IRA” 

In this Office Hours, financial management consultant Kelli Cruz of Cruz Consulting Group, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, will conduct a ‘financial makeover’ of 2 advisory firms, who will share the advisory compensation plans for their ensemble advisory firms, and receive real-time feedback on the nature of their compensation structure, to gain an understanding of what is really ‘normal’ (or not!) when it comes to the advisor compensation expenses of an advisory firm! 

At this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How to align the compensation of the entire firm 
• How to connect the dots between the vision, the talent, and how the firm actually works 
• How to provide incentives for business performance 

Join us for the June Kitces Monthly Webinar, where mortgage planning expert Craig Strent will discuss the economic factors driving the current real estate and mortgage markets and what strategies advisors can use to help clients navigate this challenging environment.

In this webinar, advisors will learn:

• The key economic factors that are driving home prices and mortgage rates
• How advisors can help clients make sense of the current housing and mortgage markets and where they might be headed going forward
• Strategies that advisors could consider for clients either buying or selling a home in the current market environment

The May Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from 4 Advice Engagement software vendors that help advisors take clients further into and engage clients (and sometimes, prospects!) more deeply with the ongoing financial planning process: Asset-Map, fpPathfinder, Lumiant, and Elements.

At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each advice engagement software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions live! At this event, advisors will learn:

• The core functionalities of each advice engagement solution
• The unique and differentiating features offered by each software
• How the solution integrates with other tech
• The pricing for individual advisors and firms
• And answers to whatever other questions you may have!

At the May Kitces Monthly webinar, Medicare expert Elaine Floyd, will discuss health insurance in retirement: how Medicare works, how to choose private insurance to go with Medicare, and how to establish a health care budget.

At this webinar, advisors will learn:

• How to help working clients coordinate their work-provided health insurance coverage with Medicare coverage once they reach the age of 65
• How enrollment in Medicare affects how a client can use their Health Savings Accounts
• The advantages and disadvantages of Medigap and Medicare Advantage coverage, as well as their differences
• How to estimate total client health care costs in retirement

In this Office Hours, practice management consultant Angie Herbers of Herbers & Company, along with Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces, will conduct a ’financial makeover’ of 2 advisory firms, who will share their business financials and receive real-time feedback on the nature of their income, expenses, and various staff and other costs, to gain an understanding of what is really 'normal' (or not!) when it comes to the revenue, expenses, and profitability of an advisory firm! 

At this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How much revenue should go towards advisor versus other staff expenses 
• What is a reasonable amount to spend on marketing 
• What are typical technology costs for an advisory firm 
• What should the profit margin be for an advisory firm as it grows and scales up 

S Corporations, and their taxation, are of interest for many financial planners who serve business owners. Furthermore, since many planners are self-employed themselves, S-Corps are also useful in choosing a business structure for their own practice. Questions around reasonable compensation, deductibility of health insurance premiums, and allocating ownership (among others) are critical for business owners to get the most out of S-Corp status. The April Kitces Monthly webinar will arm financial advisors with information on the benefits, limitations, and strategies for S-Corps so that they can better maximize this status with clients and their own practice.

At this webinar, advisors will learn:

• Basic S-Corp rules and definitions
• Recent legislative changes that relate to how S-Corps are managed
• Benefits of S-Corps when it comes to profits and taxation
• Strategies that advisors can deploy to take the most advantage of S-Corps

Building on the popularity of our January Kitces Software Showcase featuring some of the most popular financial planning software vendors, the March Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from four additional financial planning software vendors that may be a little less known to financial advisors: Voyant, TIFIN Wealth, WealthTec, and NaviPlan.  

At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each financial planning software company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions. At this event, advisors will learn: 

• The core functionalities of each financial planning software solution 
• The unique and differentiated features offered by each software solution  
• How the software integrates with other tech  
• What the pricing is for individual advisors and firms  
• Plus, whatever questions you may have! 

Join us at the March Kitces Monthly Webinar and learn from expert guest Michael Finke, Ph.D., and learn about strategies advisors can use to optimize their clients’ net investment returns as well as rules of thumb that can be used to explain these concepts to clients, whether they are still in their working years or are already retired. 

In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• How to build an investing strategy that funds a spending goal with the highest net return for a given level of risk 
• How to take advantage of asset location strategies to improve clients’ net investment returns 
• Tax-friendly asset liquidation strategies for clients with a variety of taxable and tax-sheltered accounts  

Join us in February for Kitces Office Hours where Michael Kitces and expert guest Taylor Schulte, host of the Experiments in Advisor Marketing podcast and founder of Define Financial, will review website examples shared by real advisors and discuss best practices in how to generate prospects from your advisor website.  

In this Office Hours session, the experts will discuss: 

• How to win trust by creating a prospect-friendly advisor website experience 
• How to tailor your website for your target market 
• How to find talented website developers for hire 
• And anything else you want to know about advisor websites! 

Join us at the February Kitces Monthly Webinar and learn from expert guest Meghaan Lurtz, Ph.D., FBS™ about the questions to ask clients that move them from fine to flourish, and ultimately advisors back to where they are happiest—fixing issues for clients to keep them moving forward.  

In this webinar, advisors will learn:

• What makes on-going review meetings stale and how to recognize when clients are bored 
• How to incorporate the fix, fine, flourish cycle into client-advisor relationships 
• How to apply a meeting process and incorporate review questions to create “flourish” conversations 

Fix: The early phase of the client-advisor relationship where there are clear financial issues or goals that need to be addressed. Transitions can also reignite fix.

Fine: The middle phase of the client-advisor relationship where clients and advisors alike mainly describe their interaction as fine. These are useful times for rest, but they can also get boring and end out with unsatisfying meetings.

Flourish: A third phase of the client advisor relationship where new goals related to growth and self-worth, and purpose, meaning, autonomy and relationships are explored with greater depth that would not have been possible before, earlier in a fix or fine phase.

Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs: Developed by Abraham Maslow, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was meant to explain motivation and provide insight into the human condition to meet both basic physical and emotional needs as well as complex physical and emotional needs. Human needs are broken into 5 categories: physiological needs, safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization.

End Of History Illusion: The psychological phenomena describing how a person will describe their current self compared to their younger self as totally different and yet asked to describe the future self, persons will default to saying future self is much like the current self. In a sense, they describe an end of history as though they will stop changing.

Arrival Fallacy: The psychological phenomena describing how people often enjoy the pursuit of a goal more than they enjoy actually achieving the goal. Humans tend to be happier striving toward success than they do achieving success.

Positive Psychology: A movement spawned by Dr. Martin Seligman that focuses on studying individuals that are doing well, have strengths, and want to have more full lives in contrast to focusing on the study of disorders and maladaptive behavior.

The recording of this webinar will be available and CE-eligible within the month.

Join Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com, for the January Kitces Monthly Webinar where he’ll walk through the full range of measures included in SECURE Act 2.0 and the planning considerations for financial advisors. 

In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• The key provisions of SECURE 2.0 
• The types of clients who are most likely to be affected by the legislation 
• Retirement planning opportunities created by SECURE 2.0 

Curating a well-suited tech stack is a daunting task for many advisors. With the numerous solutions available, it can be incredibly time consuming to review websites and marketing materials, request and schedule and attend demos, and try to evaluate which unique features of each vendor are most capable of suiting the advisor’s preferences.  

To make this process easier for advisors who are considering implementing a new financial planning software program, the January Kitces Software Showcase will highlight four popular financial planning software vendors, side by side, for 15-20 minutes each, so that advisors can get a time-efficient comparison of their key features, making it easier to narrow down the choices to the final 1-2 that they may want to vet further in the future.  

The January Kitces Software Showcase will feature demos from eMoney, MoneyGuide, Moneytree, and RightCapital. At this Kitces Software Showcase, representatives from each company will provide a tour of their software, and then answer advisor questions. At this event, advisors will learn: 

• The core functionalities of each financial planning software solution 
• The unique and differentiated features offered by each software solution  
• How the software integrates with other tech  
• What the pricing is for individual advisors and firms  
• Plus whatever questions you may have! 

The recording of this webinar will be available and CE-eligible within the month.

Join Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com, for the encore of the January Kitces Monthly Webinar, where he’ll walk through the full range of measures included in SECURE Act 2.0 and the planning considerations for financial advisors. 

In this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• The key provisions of SECURE 2.0 
• The types of clients who are most likely to be affected by the legislation 
• Retirement planning opportunities created by SECURE 2.0 

Join Michael Kitces and expert guests Arlene Moss, Cody Garrett, and Melissa Joy as they share best practices for doing strategic planning and how to figure out what your business focus should be in 2023. 

In this webinar, advisors will learn:

• Methodologies for creating and reviewing a meaningful strategic plan, whether you’re a solo or an enterprise 
• How to set goals that tie into the plan and can be measured at the year’s end 
• The keys for successful strategic planning when time is scarce during the holiday season 

 Presenters:

Michael Kitces with

Cody Garrett, CFP
Owner & Financial Planner at Measure Twice Financial 

Arlene Moss
Executive Business Coach - XY Planning Network 

Melissa Joy, CFP®, CDFA®
Founder, Pearl Planning 

Join Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com, for our December Kitces Monthly Webinar where he’ll walk through the range of year-end tax-related opportunities and pitfalls for advisors and their clients, as well as key planning topics for advisors to consider as we move into 2023!    

In this webinar, advisors will learn:  

• How to apply the wide range of year-end tax planning opportunities to a variety of client situations  
• How recent changes to tax rules will affect end-of-year planning for 2022 
• What the current inflationary environment means for clients’ tax, retirement, and insurance planning needs going forward 

Join us at the November Kitces Office Hours, where host Adam Van Deusen and expert guests Eliza De Pardo, Kelli Cruz, and Michael Goodman will discuss how firms are navigating employee reviews and pay adjustments in the current environment. 

At this Office Hours, advisors will learn: 

• How firms are planning to make adjustments to employee compensation in 2022 
• How firms can promote employee retention amid stagnant or declining revenues 
• Best practices for communicating pay expectations to employees going forward 

Presenters: 

Adam Van Deusen, Associate Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com

Eliza De Pardo, Founder & Director, De Pardo Consulting

Kelli Cruz, Founder, Cruz Consulting Group

Michael Goodman, CPA/PFS, CFP, Founder of Wealthstream Advisors

1 CE Credit

Join expert guest, Martin M. Shenkman, CPA, MBA, PFS, AEP, JD, at the November Kitces Monthly Webinar where he will review what a SLAT is and provide tangible examples of how this traditionally ultra-high-net-worth tool be made useful for a broader range of clients.  

At this webinar, advisors will learn: 

• The planning benefits of the SLAT for families with $1-10M in net worth.  
• How to make a SLAT appropriate for $1-10M clients.  
• How to partner with clients and their attorneys to structure a SLAT in a way that accounts for the comprehensive financial plan 

Join us at October’s Kitces Monthly Office Hours where Michael Kitces and expert guests Michael Lecours and Angie Herbers, will discuss how to manage client variability to make your firm more scalable.

At this Office Hours, advisors will learn: 

• Low-cost strategies to offer flexibility for a range of clients 
• How to create customized services for a focused clientele 
• Ways to manage the various domains of variability, from when client meetings are held to how clients receive service support 

Presenters:
Michael Lecours, CFP®, Co-Founder of fpPathfinder and Angie Herbers, Chief Executive and Senior Consultant at Herbers & Company

ETFs have become essential components of many investors’ portfolios in recent years. Their low costs, tax efficiency, and ability to provide exposure to numerous asset classes have made them a popular choice within tax-advantaged and taxable investment accounts alike. But as the number of dollars flowing into ETFs has grown, so too has the diversity and complexity of ETF products on the market – from actively-managed and leveraged products to ESG offerings to (likely in the near future) cryptocurrency funds. And so, with ETFs making up the core building blocks of many advisors’ portfolio management strategies, it is critical for advisors to understand not only the role ETFs play today, but also how they could continue to evolve and help shape the relationship between portfolio management and financial advice in the years to come. 

Join us at the October Kitces Monthly Webinar, where ETF expert Dave Nadig, Financial Futurist of VettaFi, will discuss current trends within the ETF industry (including considerations such as growth versus value, inflation, and flows into ESG or values-based ETFs), as well as areas of future research such as the role of indexing, the risks posed by shifting regulatory environments, and innovations in fixed income ETFs. 

In this webinar, advisors will learn:  

• The simple way of understanding ETF creation and redemption 
• What is receiving the most attention in the ETF landscape versus where the money is actually flowing 
• How to choose ETFs by considering exposure, efficiency, and access 

Following a period of business growth, financial advisors often hit a wall, where there's seemingly not enough time to do financial planning work for all of their existing and new clients while also managing the operational responsibilities involved in running a business. At that point, it can be time to hire support staff who can promote the income and growth potential of the business. 

Whether it is hiring an assistant to support business operations or a paraplanner/associate planner to cover financial planning tasks, bringing on new staff (and leveraging them efficiently) can allow a firm owner to focus on their highest-value responsibilities, including bringing in new (and often, more lucrative) clients. And as additional staff are added, the advisory firm can transition into a bona fide business, where clients are clients of the firm (and not just the founding advisor) and the business generates additional revenue (and profits) by having multiple advisors and support personnel to serve the firm’s clients. 

Join us at the September Kitces Office Hours, where Michael and expert guests Cathy Sutter, Kacie Swartz, and Tanya Nichols will discuss how to leverage a right-hand assistant, paraplanner, or associate advisor so advisors can have more time to focus on growing their business.  

Kacie Swartz - Senior Wealth Manager, Stone Wealth Management
Tanya Nichols - Founder and President, Align Financial
Cathy Sutter - Practice Manager, Integrated Planning & Wealth Management 

A unique element of financial planning is that client relationships can last for a very long time, with many advisors assisting clients over the course of decades as their financial planning needs evolve in step with their personal lives. Due to this aspect of the planning relationship, it is almost inevitable that an advisor will encounter a time when a client is diagnosed with a terminal illness. And while it is important for the advisor to review technical areas of the financial plan (from cash flow to estate planning) with these clients, an even more critical consideration is how to best communicate and interact with a client whose thoughts are consumed by their illness. If the advisor isn’t aware of the strategies for working with a client with a “sick brain”, all the best financial plans will be useless.

While the value of financial planning was defined in the past by the products a broker could access for their clients, the value that an advisor brings to the table today is far more esoteric and relies not only on an advisor’s own knowledge and expertise, but also on their ability to deliver positive client outcomes. 

Join us at the Kitces Monthly Office Hours in August where Michael and expert guests Carl Richards and Bill Bachrach discuss the keys to the pricing conversation and ways to become more confident when communicating the value you provide to clients. At this Kitces Office Hours, advisors will learn: 

• How to evaluate your “lead nurturing” process and how you present yourself to prospective clients 
• How to confidently share the story behind the value you provide to clients 
• How to navigate conversations around price in a way that leads to securing clients who are a good fit for the firm 

Presenters: Michael Kitces with Bill Bachrach - Chairman & CEO, AdvisorRoadmap™ and Carl Richards - Creator of the Behavior Gap

Sometimes there are situations where individuals need access to funds in their tax-deferred retirement accounts sooner than the rules allow. In fact, except for a narrow range of ‘emergency’ situations, the only way most individuals can access these funds without incurring a 10% early withdrawal penalty tax is by setting up “Substantially Equal Periodic Payments (SEPP)”, otherwise known as 72(t) payments.  To do so, however, taxpayers must adhere to several rules that have been provided by the IRS or risk paying significant penalties.  

Join us at the August Kitces Monthly webinar where expert guest, Jeffrey Levine, will discuss the rules to consider and strategies to apply when helping clients who may need early access to their retirement funds.

At this webinar advisors will learn: 

• Which critical 72(t) payment rules must be considered to avoid penalties 
• How to navigate IRS Notice 2022-6 which sets a new 5% ‘floor’ interest rate for calculating 72(t) payments 
• Five strategies to consider when discussing 72(t) distributions with clients

While the work of developing financial plans was originally used as a way to identify “gaps” in a person’s overall financial situation (in order to then sell them something to fill those gaps), the profession has evolved so that the advice itself is now the product. But despite the value that advisors can bring to clients over a long-term relationship, the intangible nature of financial planning services can make it difficult for clients to assess the ongoing value they receive after the initial plan is implemented. With this in mind, one way for advisors to demonstrate ongoing value is to use systematized deliverables and ongoing services that make the ongoing advice more salient to clients without creating any hurdles for the firm as it grows.

Presenters: 

Matthew Jarvis
Co-Founder, The Perfect RIA podcast & President, Jarvis Financial Services

Adam Cmejla, CFP
Founder, Integrated Planning & Wealth Management 

Monte Carlo analysis has become the dominant methodology for advisors to analyze retirement income planning strategies. But the way the results of Monte Carlo analysis are framed for clients can invoke different emotional responses and can affect portfolio withdrawal rate decisions. With this in mind, advisors can take advantage of a range of options to improve their use of Monte Carlo analysis, including framing the results as a “Probability of Adjustment” rather than “Probability of Success”, comparing results using historical scenarios, leveraging regime-based models, and using risk-based guardrails. Using these methods, advisors can potentially provide clients with greater peace of mind regarding their retirement income choices and better help them achieve their specific income and legacy goals.    

Owners of financial advisory firms are frequently called on to make decisions to set the direction of their company’s growth and to ensure that that vision is carried out. As a firm grows in size, however, there are more team members working in more areas outside of the direct purview of the founder, and without a clear framework to communicate the firm’s goals and values, and prioritize which objectives to focus on, teams can be pulled in multiple directions at once, stalling progress and preventing the firm from growing and scaling in line with the leaders’ goals.  

One system that advisory firms are increasingly adopting to stay focused on what moves the practice forward is Gino Wickman's “Entrepreneurial Operating System” (EOS), which offers business owners a framework for defining the vision they have for their firm, and ensuring that it is carried out, in an aligned manner, across all team members within the organization.  

Join Michael Kitces and expert guests Jerry Kauffman (a certified EOS implementer), along with Matt Cosgriff and John Kennedy (two advisors who use EOS in their own practices), as they discuss how they have gained focus, discipline, and better accountability by implementing EOS in their own businesses.  

With consumer prices continuing to surge at a historic rate, the topic of inflation is now top of mind for many financial advisors and their clients. Because rising prices are persisting for longer than many originally predicted, it is prudent to consider how each component of a client’s financial plan is being impacted, including estate planning and gifting. Planning strategies that involve interest-rate dependent transfers, such as intrafamily loans and grantor-retained trusts, are affected by the rate in place at the time of the loan or transfer, making it crucial to optimize the timing of such strategies in order to minimize tax consequences. Join us at the June Kitces Monthly webinar where expert guest Griffin Bridgers, Estate Planning Attorney at Hutchins & Associates LLC, will discuss the estate planning strategies that rely on interest rates and what actions advisors can take with their clients. 

The typical financial planner decided to pursue their career path for the opportunity to be of service to others, and grows an advisory firm over time by delivering value to their clients, and getting referred to others seeking the same value. Yet by serving clients on an ongoing basis, it is virtually inevitable that the advisor will eventually reach their personal capacity of clients that can be served, and need to hire a new advisor to support (and perhaps eventually, take over) some of those client relationships. 

The problem, though, is that few financial planners have ever had to hire, train, and develop other financial planners – a challenge most of us become acutely aware of when we hire our first paraplanner or associate advisor for support. 

Join Michael Kitces, and expert guests Penny Phillips and Philip Palaveev, at our next Kitces Office Hours, where they’ll discuss what exactly paraplanners and associate advisors should be doing to create value as quickly as possible, how senior advisors can establish expectations about what success looks like for paraplanners and associate advisors, and the keys to creating a development pathway that increases retention and allows the firm to efficiently scale. 

College costs have grown significantly in the past two decades, with the sticker price exceeding $300,000 at some of the most prestigious institutions. At the same time, the student loan debt burden has grown significantly, with total student loan debt now exceeding $1.7 trillion. With these concerns in mind, clients often seek out advisors to help them with funding the costs of higher education. However, training on financial aid and late-stage college planning is a small component of most advisor education programs, leaving many advisors with questions on how they can best assist their clients with the important decisions around higher education costs.  

Join us at the May Kitces Monthly Webinar where expert guest, Joe Messinger CFP, ChFC, CLU, CCFC, will share ideas on how advisors can better guide families through the college funding maze and make more informed buying decisions.

Advisory firms historically were transactional, focused on how much time advisors could be out 'selling' to get new clients, and supported by administrative staff to handle the paperwork as the advisor moved on to the next new client. The rise of AUM and now subscription fee models, and their recurring revenue, shifts the focus from 'just' getting the next new client, to servicing existing clients with increasingly deep advice services in order to retain them. Scaling advice services for clients necessitates hiring paraplanners, who have a skill set beyond 'just' admin services, to support the planning process. 

In this Office Hours, Michael and expert guests Caleb Brown and Maria King will discuss: 

• How to write the ideal job description for a prospective paraplanner hire
• Traits to watch for when hiring a paraplanner
• How to attract the best candidates to join the firm
• Best practices in interviewing and vetting candidates to make the right choice
• And whatever else advisors want to learn! 

When the SECURE Act was signed into law in December 2019, it ushered in some of the most significant changes to the rules for retirement accounts in well over a decade. At the same time, however, the statutory language included a number of provisions that were either ill-defined or left open to substantial IRS interpretation. To fill this gap, the IRS issued Proposed Regulations on February 23, 2022, to reflect the changes to the Internal Revenue Code made by the SECURE Act. And while the Proposed Regulations are likely to be amended at least somewhat before they are finalized, they do provide the best window into the IRS’s current thinking on a variety of issues. Join tax expert, Jeffrey Levine, at the April Kitces monthly webinar where he will review the Proposed Regulations and provide clarity around how taxpayers (and their advisors) can start preparing themselves now for how their individual situations might be affected. 

Join us in March for Office Hours where Michael Kitces and expert guest Taylor Schulte, host of the Experiments in Advisor Marketing podcast and founder of Define Financial, will review website examples shared by real advisors and discuss best practices in how to generate prospects from your advisor website.  

The business of financial advice is an interpersonal one, and an element of this interpersonal work is what to do when clients struggle to consistently take action. Knowing how to help clients actually follow through is rarely straightforward, and failing to implement plans can damage the advisor-client relationship overall. But by co-creating implementation plans, advisors can help clients achieve higher rates of follow-through and fulfillment. Join expert guest, Dr. Moira Somers at the March Kitces Monthly Webinar and learn how to develop a co-creation environment for clients and yourself and gain traction on financial plan implementation.

Financial planning advice is incredibly valuable, but many advisors struggle in trying to figure out the "right" fees to charge, or even the "right" fee model to use. In practice, the overwhelming majority of advisors charge a 'traditional' 1% AUM fee. But this doesn't always align well with the needs of individual clients. The rise of alternative fee-for-service models provides more ways for advisors to charge to ensure they're getting paid what they're worth... but also creates an even more overwhelming number of choices in trying to figure out what to charge! 

Join Michael and expert guests, Alan Moore and Stephanie Bogan at February’s Kitces Office Hours as they discuss how to set the ‘right’ fee structure for your financial planning advice. 

An increasing volume of research is making clear what financial planners have long known – that clients do not always act in a purely rational manner. But it’s one thing to recognize that clients sometimes make irrational decisions, and another to really understand what drives those decisions and how to help clients avoid the most damaging mistakes. In this Kitces Monthly Webinar, advisors will learn what the behavioral finance research has shown about our not-always-rational decision-making process, and how to adapt the delivery of their financial planning services to help clients achieve more desirable outcomes through better communication and enhanced trust.

One of the biggest challenges of growing an advisory firm is that as the business grows, the role of the founder/owner begins to change. Business coaches help business owners get moving. In this month's Office Hours, join Michael and expert guests, Diane MacPhee, Ray Sclafani, and Adam Cmejla as they discuss how to evaluate and pick a business coach, how they went about hiring a business coach for themselves, and what kind of impact coaching has had on them.

Advisors use retirement-income guardrails as a convenient and easy-to-understand framework to explain when a client needs to make portfolio adjustments in retirement. Withdrawal-rate guardrails are a commonly used framework, but they do not always accurately reflect a client’s dynamic income sources and actual spending behaviors. Risk-based retirement-income guardrails, on the other hand, have the same benefits of communication and clarity while also modeling a client’s retirement income sources and spending patterns more realistically. At this Kitces Monthly Webinar, join Derek Tharp, as he discusses risk-based guardrails and the impacts of the varying associated parameters.

As advisory firms grow, they tend to attract more affluent clients, which ironically can present a challenge over time. Join Michal Kitces, Lisa Crafford and John Bowen as they discuss how to segment clients as your firm grows, including at what thresholds, into what groups, and what exactly to do for some clients versus others!

During this four-hour virtual conference, you’ll have a chance to see what successful financial planning value looks like, with a unique behind the scenes look at real financial advisors’ efforts to demonstrate their value in their marketing, their financial planning process, and their ongoing advice services. Afterwards, connect with your peers at our Community Event.

Join Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com, for our December Kitces Monthly Webinar where he’ll walk through pertinent details of the new/proposed tax law changes, and provide greater awareness of potential changes and tax strategies to implement before closing out 2021 and start 2022.

Join Michael and expert guests Kathleen Burns Kingsbury and Stephanie Bogan as they discuss how to confidently have the fee-increase conversation with existing clients. 

Asking great questions during client conversations is an essential part of the job as a financial advisor. Great questions help advisors gather important information, and great questions can even help motivate clients to take action. Meghaan Lurtz will discuss the different types of questions that are available to advisors as well as how and when to use these questions throughout the financial planning relationship.

As more and more advisors offer increasingly comprehensive financial planning and deliver more service to clients, it’s becoming harder to differentiate between every other advisor who is also doing the same thing. At this Month's Office Hours, Michael and expert guests Kristen Luke and Robert Sofia will share what it takes to really differentiate from the competition, including factors that actually lead prospective clients to choose one advisor over another as well as how to avoid "differentiators" that unwittingly lead to just blending in instead of truly standing out.

Join us at the October Kitces Monthly Webinar where ETF expert Dave Nadig, CIO and Director of Research at ETF Trends, will discuss how and why ETFs are so efficient, as well as where they fall down, why focusing on exposure trumps everything else, and how to understand the true total cost of ETF ownership.

Michael and Matt Oechsli, founder and CEO of The Oechsli Institute will discuss what the research tells us about how affluent investors select their advisors (and why they care more about partnering with their advisors), as well as ways advisors can tailor their marketing to reach more affluent clients and increase their revenue. 

In this late-breaking webinar, Jeffrey Levine will take a deep dive into all the details of the latest Biden Tax Plan proposal, and provide his expert perspective on the planning issues and strategies advisors need to consider as the law is finalized in the weeks to come.

Jamie Hopkins will discuss current proposals and associated drivers that may affect estate planning, as well as the 10 steps of a solid estate planning process that you can easily apply in your client conversations. 

Julie Littlechild, Founder of Absolute Engagement and Dennis Moseley-Williams, Founder of Moseley-Williams Strategic Consulting join Michael for August Kitces Office Hours where they will discuss how the delivery of a great client experience starts with viewing everything about your financial planning process as an experience to be staged for clients, and why, in the end, it's not just about what you do for clients, but what positive changes you bring, and the transformations that are created in their lives.

At August’s Kitces Monthly webinar, Jeffrey Levine will share the strategies and nuances of using a CRT to provide clients with the benefit of a lifetime payout as an alternative to the no-longer-available stretch IRA. In this webinar, advisors will learn how the SECURE Act changed the stretch IRA and the impact of the 10-Year Rule as well as the client factors planners will want to look for and consider when suggesting the CRT as a potential alternative to a stretch IRA.

The ongoing rise of firms providing financial planning value beyond 'just' the portfolio is leading more and more advisory firms to charge advice fees in addition to (or in lieu of) an AUM fee. The good news of subscription and retainer fee models is that the advisor can get paid for giving advice beyond the portfolio, and even be compensated for the advice they provide to clients who don't have a portfolio. Learn how advisory firms are explaining the ongoing value that their clients will receive for the advice fees they pay, and how you can demonstrate your firm's ongoing financial planning value.

Choosing the “right” risk tolerance questionnaire receives little consideration among financial advisors today, despite being a requirement for FINRA-registered brokers and insurance agents, and a matter of fiduciary protection for registered investment advisors. Michael Kitces will explore what exactly risk tolerance is, how it is distinct from risk capacity and risk perception, what risk tolerance questionnaires are designed to measure, and what it takes to create a high-quality risk tolerance questionnaire that will serve as a useful tool for assessing a client's risk tolerance.

Several major changes are expected under the Biden Tax Proposal, which will impact affluent clients in particular, as it eliminates the tax preference for capital gains and qualified dividends for higher-income households, along with the step-up in basis. Jeffrey Levine and Michael Kitces will answer member questions on the proposed changes and how to prepare for them.

To best serve clients in the decumulation phase, advisors must evaluate which risk factors and preferences to incorporate in the plan including age, retirement date, equity allocation, pension wealth, and rate environments. David M. Blanchett, will discuss how to create an efficient and uniquely designed decumulation portfolio for each client using the ‘total wealth’ perspective.

How can advisory firm owners create a natural feedback mechanism to understand whether their decisions are maximizing value? Join Michael Kitces , Brad Bueermann, CEO of FP Transitions and David DeVoe, Founder and CEO of DeVoe & Company as they share their expertise on how to get a handle on what an advisory firm business is really worth, as well as the latest trends in advisory firm valuations.

In order to help clients achieve the ultimate goal of a happy retirement, advisors must account for the psychological impact of generating income from retirement assets, as well as the physical and emotional considerations that affect retirement satisfaction. In our May webinar, Michael Finke, PhD, from The American College of Financial Services, discusses what actually makes people happy in retirement, as well as the planning considerations specific to individuals in retirement.

Despite devoting a lot of time and effort to establishing relationships with local “Centers of Influence” (COIs), such as attorneys and accountants, many advisors struggle to actually get referrals from them. Yet referrals from COIs in your target market generate more affluent prospects on average than any other advisor marketing strategy, according to a recent Kitces Research study. So, what can advisors do to generate referrals from their COI relationships? Join Michael Kitces and expert guests Brett Van Bortel and Jeffrey Levine as they share their expertise on what it takes to actually build relationships with COIs that produce results.

John Nersesian
Head of PIMCO Advisor Education

John will explain to advisors how they can determine a client’s main objectives regarding their stock options, restricted stock shares, and restricted stock options, and apply specific planning strategies to meet those objectives.

LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE

Congress has just passed new legislation to provide relief to American people and businesses affected by the economic impact of Covid. Jeffrey Levine will discuss key new rules and provisions, as well as immediate planning strategies that can be implemented with clients.

Angie Herbers

Compensation is one of the most influential drivers of employee motivation, and is often used by employers as a way to guide their team’s behaviors. At our March edition of Kitces Office Hours, Michael Kitces and Angie Herbers will discuss the common mistakes that many financial advisory firms make in developing their compensation models for employee advisors, as well as the drivers behind compensation that actually do (and don’t) motivate employees.

Derek Tharp

Lead Researcher at Kitces.com

Monte Carlo analysis has become the dominant approach for financial advisors trying to project out and evaluate the viability of a client’s retirement plan. Yet in practice, today’s Monte Carlo software and associated outputs primarily just show whether a current path is viable, and do little to provide guidance about when and how a prospective retiree might need to make course changes to stay on track. Derek Tharp will discuss how to adapt the Monte Carlo analysis and make it more useful and tangible for clients trying to formulate an actual plan for retirement.

Dr. Brad Klontz, Psy.D., CFP
Your Mental Wealth Advisors

While financial advisors are taught how to analyze client situations and craft recommendations, there is remarkably little guidance in what to do when clients don’t actually follow those recommendations. Because in the end, helping clients actually change their behavior can be difficult, and the best way to push them forward – without offending them in the process – is not always clear.

Taylor Schulte

host of the Experiments in Advisor Marketing podcast

founder of Define Financial

During January Office Hours, Michael Kitces and Taylor Schulte, who wrote the Nerd's Eye View article 2 Ways I Improved My Advisor Website SEO (And How You Can, Too), discussed the do's and don'ts of building your own website as well as provided the best practices on how to create a site that generate prospects.

PREMIER MEMBER Recording

How does one build an appropriate portfolio for accumulation-stage investors? What assets should be considered for an accumulator’s entire portfolio?

Expert guest David M. Blanchett, PhD, CFA, CFP®, will discuss how financial planners should consider traditional investments alongside human capital, housing, and pension assets. Furthermore, David will discuss the risk of each of these assets and how they should be considered with the overall goal of being able to build an efficient, diversified portfolio.

At this Kitces Monthly Webinar, advisors will learn:

• How to build appropriate portfolios for investors in the accumulation stage of their lifetime
• Which assets should be considered in an accumulator’s portfolio, more than just the financial assets
• What contributes, and doesn’t contribute, to the riskiness of human capital, housing assets and pension assets