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1. What are the biggest issues facing financial planners today?

The term "basic analysis" has evolved in recent years. Where once it referred to the ability to determine a client's financial position, net worth, goals and willingness to take risks with a portfolio, more recent definitions have focused more intensely on the process of asset allocation, re-allocation and portfolio balancing.

As CPAs and investment advisors partner to map out a strategy for clients, the delicate balance between tax effectiveness and control over assets should serve as a centerpiece. This will help to create a strategy that maximizes investments, minimizes tax exposure, and helps maintain clients' long-term financial objectives.

A number of years ago, I was strolling through TimesSquare (this was before it was closed to traffic and became a repository forlounge chairs and sunbathers) and observed one of the true New York con gamesin motion.

The Securities and Exchange Commission came down hard on Wall Street powerhouse Goldman Sachs on Friday, accusing the bank of defrauding its own investors by concealing information from them about the riskiness of the subprime mortgages it packaged and sold.

A federal grand jury has indicted a California tax preparer on charges of tax evasion and possession of stolen government money after he was accused of stealing over $320,000 in tax refunds.

The First-Time Homebuyer Credit turned the 2010 tax filing season into a briar patch for the Internal Revenue Service, a frustrating experience for many taxpayers, and a new opportunity for scammers to rip-off the public, an IRS official told Congress.

Over half of CFOs and senior controllers anticipate wages and bonuses will not rise in the next six months, according to a survey by Grant Thornton.

Chief audit executives and internal audit directors and managers are noticing improvements in staffing and budgets this year after a brutal 2009, according to a new survey.

The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service have filed charges against seven individuals who collectively hid over $100 million in secret bank accounts at the Swiss bank UBS.