Financial Planning

It’s that time of the year again. We have tweeted, connected, pinned, blogged and vlogged our way through 2012 – and now it’s time to look at what’s on accounting marketers’ bucket lists for 2013!

GMI Ratings has compiled a second “Black Swan Risk List” identifying 40 North American companies with the highest risk of major drops in share prices within the next six months.

The Great recession of 2007-2010 wiped out almost 40 percent, or two decades worth, of Americans’ wealth, the Federal Reserve said earlier this year. This shift in wealth will have a major impact across all aspects of family and wealth, not only for the middle class but also for wealthier people and business owners.

Adult children and their parents struggle to communicate on key financial topics that include retirement planning, providing care for elderly parents and inheritance strategies, according to a new study by Fidelity Investments.

Most Americans, particularly women, are woefully underprepared for retirement, with four out of 10 women having less than $10,000 saved, and only 21 percent having more than $100,000 in all of their investment accounts, according to research from Mintel.

Marcum LLP has issued a set of 10 essential estate planning tips for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other nontraditional families.

Rothstein Kass has released its updated financial statement manual for alternative investment funds such as hedge funds and hybrid funds.

The Internal Revenue Service is allowing 401(k) and similar employer-sponsored retirement plans to make loans and hardship distributions to victims of Hurricane Sandy and members of their families, as part of the Obama administration’s efforts to bring all available resources to bear to support state and local partners affected by Hurricane Sandy.

U.S. investors expect the country will eventually support International Financial Reporting Standards, but the process will take time and require substantial investment in staff and training, according to new research from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

While tax experts are divided on the immediate future of tax rates as we approach the fiscal cliff (the combination of scheduled tax rate increases and spending cuts by the government), the consensus is that rates will indeed rise precipitously.