Where’s My Tax Refund? How to Check Your Refund Status

With refund season well underway and the average tax refund being close to $2,800 last tax season, we are hearing the common tax season question: “Where’s My Refund?” We know that you work hard for your money and often a...

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source http://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-refunds/wheres-my-tax-refund-how-to-check-your-refund-status-18855/

#FASuccess Ep 005: Mark Tibergien On The Rise Of The Professionally Managed Financial Advisory Firm

Welcome back for the fifth episode of the Financial Advisor Success podcast!

One of the things I’m enjoying the most about this podcast is that it gives me an opportunity to reach out to people I’ve admired for their expertise throughout my career, and invite them to be a guest and share their insights with all of you.

And today’s guest is a perfect example: Mark Tibergien. Most people today know Mark as the CEO of Pershing Advisor Solutions, a major – albeit slightly less known – RIA custodian that competes with Schwab, Fidelity, and TD Ameritrade, particularly for larger RIAs that focus on serving an ultra-high-net-worth clientele.

But I first became familiar with Mark’s work in his prior role – as a Principal for Moss Adams, where for almost 15 years, he led their practice management consulting group for advisors, and pioneered the first financial advisor benchmarking studies going back to the 1990s. In fact, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Mark is the godfather of financial advisor benchmarking and practice management consulting!

In this podcast episode, you’ll hear Mark tell his own story of how he landed in financial services after starting out as a journalist, and share his collective 30 years of knowledge on practice management, as we cover everything from the four stages of an advisory practice – which Mark calls the “wonder, blunder, thunder, and plunder” phases – to the walls that advisory firm owners will hit as the business grows, and why standardization of the firm doesn’t commoditize its value but actually makes it feasible to better offer the client a customized experience! And be certain to listen to the end, where Mark shares his own perspective on where he sees the financial advisory profession going in the coming years, and where the challenges and opportunities are.

So whether you’re an experienced financial advisor and business owner trying to figure out how to take your firm to the next level and get over a wall, or are newer to the business and trying to figure out your own career/business trajectory, I hope you enjoy this latest episode of the Financial Advisor Success podcast!

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source https://www.kitces.com/blog/mark-tibergien-pershing-podcast-practice-management-and-professional-managed-advisory-firm/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mark-tibergien-pershing-podcast-practice-management-and-professional-managed-advisory-firm

Financial Advisor Checklists To Enhance The Client Meeting Prep Process

Client meetings are one of the most important touchpoints we as financial advisors can have with our clients. A well-executed client meeting is an opportunity to build clients’ trust and confidence in us. And one of the best ways to ensure the meeting is well-executed is through preparation. The caveat, though, is that the more clients we have, the less time there is, and the harder it may be to ensure that a thorough process is in place for preparing for client meetings… which can lead to a feeling of always scrambling from one client meeting to the next, struggling to keep track of all the relevant details of each clients’ situation.

The way forward through this challenge is to systematize the process using checklists, which both help to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks, and makes it easier to free up time by delegating key preparation tasks. In this guest post, Teresa Riccobuono of Simply Organized (a professional organizer who consults with financial advisors about how to get more organized by creating systems and process!) shares some of her own thoughts, tips, and best practices for creating a client meeting prep process, as well as some templates to get started with your own meeting prep checklists.

And so whether it’s creating checklists regarding the preparation of tasks related to financial planning, investment management, administrative tasks, timelines to coordinate staff preparation, or even planning for follow-up items in advance… the reality is, checklists can help you stay on top of your client meeting prep process and deliver a higher level of service to your clients that will make you more referable. So if you’re looking for ways to improve your meeting prep process and get more marketing value out of impactful client meetings, I hope that you find this guest post from Teresa to be helpful!Read More…

source https://www.kitces.com/blog/client-meeting-prep-checklist-for-financial-advisors/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=client-meeting-prep-checklist-for-financial-advisors

Is My State Tax Refund Taxable and Why?

For itemizers, it’s one of the stranger parts of the tax code. First you get to take a deduction of your state and local taxes, then all of a sudden the next year you get a 1099-G from your state...

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source http://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/is-my-state-tax-refund-taxable-and-why-90/

5 Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund

If you’re expecting a tax refund or yours has recently been deposited into your bank account, you may be wondering what is the best way to spend the money. While you can use your tax refund in myriad of different...

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source http://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-refunds/5-smart-ways-to-spend-your-refund-19505/

W-2 Arrival: All You Need to Know about Tax Forms

If you were employed during 2016, you should receive your Form W-2 (officially known as the Wage and Tax Statement) from your employer by the January 31, 2017. If you were self-employed, or worked on a contract basis with no taxes...

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source http://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-planning-2/w-2-arrival-all-you-need-to-know-about-tax-forms-20996/

Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment is Ending – Here’s What You Need to Know

Time is running out! With the end of 2017 Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment period approaching, now is the time to make sure you’re complying with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to avoid getting a tax penalty when you file...

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source http://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/health-care/health-insurance-marketplace-open-enrollment-is-ending-heres-what-you-need-to-know-21070/