Wealth management

Despite the debt limit deal that Democrats and Republicans in Congress managed to hammer out at the 11th hour this week, the U.S. Treasury is still facing the threat of a credit rating downgrade.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited plans to work with a nonprofit organization on developing disclosures by companies of their water usage as fresh drinking water increasingly becomes a scarce resource.

After the passage of a New York State law allowing same-sex couples to marry, a New York City wealth management firm has named a new CPA partner to provide same-sex couples with financial planning advice.

Women are less likely than men to concentrate on financial planning, according to a new survey on financial wellbeing and health.

With the current gift tax exclusion amount set at a record-high $5 million, many taxpayers appear to consider the gift tax no longer relevant to their planning. That may be a mistake.

GROUPS BACK UNIFORM FIDUCIARY STANDARD

The sliding economy and the roller coaster securities markets over the past several years have no doubt forced financial planners to keep both aspirin and antacid in close proximity.

Edgar Online has released a report illustrating how accountants, institutional investors and attorneys are using data tagged in Extensible Business Reporting Language format to analyze companies’ financials.

A new study identifies a positive link between high trading volume and the volatility of stock prices.

The Securities and Exchange Commission unanimously voted Tuesday to require large trading firms to identify themselves, so their market activities can be tracked.

IMGCAP(1)]On May 25, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued its final rules implementing the new whistleblower program of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Balance Financial, a consumer finance software and services company, has introduced a set of bookkeeping products and services called Balance Certified Pro.

Protected Tomorrows Inc. has introduced a new program to help financial professionals such as CPAs deal with families who have a loved one with special needs such as autism, bipolar disorder or Alzheimer’s disease.

XBRL US has launched the XBRL Challenge, a contest to uncover the first generation of open source analytic tools that will mine financial data in ways never before possible.

IMGCAP(1)]Equity compensation is more of a minefield than it once was.

Husbands and wives need to talk more about retirement planning and how to achieve their retirement goals, according to a new study.

MORE DELAY RETIREMENT

We think of risks associated with the audit and attest side of the business every time we place our signature on a financial statement. We think of investment risk every time we meet with a client who is nervous about market losses while counting on those investments to provide income or security in future years. But when it comes to traditional risks, many of which can be protected against or avoided, we are only scratching the surface of what CPA financial planners could or should be doing.

H.D. Vest, an investment advisory firm that partners with many tax practitioners, will be sold by its corporate parent Wells Fargo to Parthenon Capital Partners, a private equity firm.

Three out of four middle-income Baby Boomers say their financial situation, not age, is now the key trigger for when to retire, according to a recent study.