The Specialist’s Desk
Sharpen the advice you give Monday morning.
Articles and research that practicing advisors actually use. Eight specialty areas. No paywall. No fluff.
Browse by Specialty
Browse by Specialty
Each topic area maps to an IBF designation program. Click any specialty to see its articles.
Mutual Funds & ETFs
Fund selection, expense ratios, performance evaluation, portfolio construction
Annuities
Fixed, variable, indexed annuities, income riders, suitability
Estate Planning
Trusts, wealth transfer, beneficiary planning, estate tax strategies
Retirement Income
Withdrawal strategies, distribution planning, Social Security timing, income floors
Tax Planning
Roth conversions, tax-loss harvesting, QCDs, bracket management
Social Security & Medicare
Claiming strategies, Medicare enrollment, IRMAA, spousal benefits
Divorce Financial Planning
Asset division, QDRO, tax implications, settlement analysis
Digital Assets
Bitcoin ETFs, crypto taxation, blockchain, digital estate planning
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Featured
Editor’s Desk
Curated from our latest research and most-read pieces.
Digital Assets
Crypto in Retirement Accounts: What Advisors Need to Know Before a Client Asks
The regulatory door to crypto in 401(k)s reopened in 2025, and clients are asking. Here are the three access routes, the tax logic of each account type, the custody trap that turned one investor's IRA into a taxable distribution, and how to size it.
Estate Planning
Wills, Probate, and Estate Administration: What Advisors Need to Know
Most clients believe their will controls their entire estate. It usually controls only a fraction of their total wealth. Here is what advisors need to know about wills, probate, and estate administration.
Annuities
RILA Buffer vs. Floor Mechanics: When Each Protection Strategy Works
Registered Index-Linked Annuities protect partial principal through buffers or floors, but they work oppositely. A 10% buffer absorbs losses until the index falls more than 10%. A -10% floor forces you to feel the first 10% of loss but caps it there. Understanding which fits your client's actual loss tolerance changes everything.
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SALT Deduction and Itemization Strategy After the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
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Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap: Helping Clients Choose the Right Coverage
How Social Security Benefits Are Taxed: What Advisors Need to Know
Social Security and Medicare: Why Integrated Planning Matters
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Browse all articles
Crypto in Retirement Accounts: What Advisors Need to Know Before a Client Asks
Wills, Probate, and Estate Administration: What Advisors Need to Know
RILA Buffer vs. Floor Mechanics: When Each Protection Strategy Works
SALT Deduction and Itemization Strategy After the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Tax-Efficient Asset Location: Which Investments Go in Which Accounts
Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap: Helping Clients Choose the Right Coverage
How Social Security Benefits Are Taxed: What Advisors Need to Know
Social Security and Medicare: Why Integrated Planning Matters
Maximizing Social Security Benefits for Married Couples
Medicare Enrollment and IRMAA: What Every Advisor Needs to Know
When to Claim Social Security: A Framework for Financial Advisors
Inherited Retirement Accounts: Distribution Rules After SECURE 2.0
REIT Dividend Yields by Property Sector
Bond Ladders, Dividend Strategies, and Bucket Approaches Compared
Required Minimum Distributions: Rules, Calculations, and Planning Strategies
Sequence-of-Returns Risk: Why Early Retirement Years Matter Most
The 4% Rule Revisited: Sustainable Withdrawal Rates in Today's Market
Post-Divorce Financial Planning: Rebuilding a Client's Financial Life
Business Valuation in Divorce: What Advisors Need to Know Before the Expert Shows Up
The Financial Advisor's Role in Divorce: Beyond Asset Division
The Tax Consequences of Divorce: What Changed After 2017 and What Advisors Miss
Community Property vs. Equitable Distribution: A State-by-State Guide for Advisors
Dividing Retirement Accounts in Divorce: QDROs and What Advisors Get Wrong
Estate Planning for Blended Families: Common Pitfalls and Solutions
Charitable Giving Strategies: DAFs, CRTs, and Foundation Basics for Advisors
Powers of Attorney and Advance Directives: What Advisors Should Verify
Types of Trusts Every Financial Advisor Should Know
The Digital Asset Market: Size, Adoption, and What It Means for Advisors
How Much Crypto Should Your Client Own? A Portfolio Allocation Framework
Stablecoins and the GENIUS Act: What Advisors Should Know
Digital Asset Custody: How Client Assets Are Protected
Digital Asset Taxation: What Advisors Need to Know
Bitcoin and Crypto ETFs: A Practical Guide for Financial Advisors
Tax-Loss Harvesting: A Practical Guide for Financial Advisors
Tax Strategies for Business Owners: QSBS, Opportunity Zones, and Exit Planning
Roth Conversion Decision Framework: When to Convert and How Much
1035 Exchanges: When to Reposition an Annuity Without Triggering Taxes
Variable Annuity Living Benefits: GMWB, GLWB, GMIB, and GMAB Explained
Fixed Indexed Annuity Crediting Methods Explained
Building a Fund Selection Framework: Active, Passive, or Both
Does Past Performance Predict Future Results? What the Evidence Shows
Estate Tax Planning Strategies for High-Net-Worth Clients
Variable Annuity Share Classes
U.S. Economy Overview for Financial Advisors
Risk-Adjusted Returns Explained: Sharpe, Sortino, Treynor, Beta
Can You Identify Superior Active Fund Managers? What the Research Shows
SPIVA Scorecard: How Active Funds Performed vs. Their Benchmarks
BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street: The Big Three Explained
The Trillion-Dollar Fund Club
Fund Industry Overview: By the Numbers
The Largest U.S. Investment Management Firms by AUM
Top 20 Mutual Funds by Size: The Largest in the U.S.
Top-Ranked Stock Pickers: What the Performance Data Actually Shows
Standard Deviation, Beta, Alpha, and Sharpe Ratio Explained for Advisors
Portfolio Diversification for Risk Reduction: What the Research Shows
Value Stocks vs. Growth Stocks: Which Wins When
How Expense Ratios Compound Over 20 and 30 Years
Commodity Investing: How Fund Structure Shapes Returns
How to Evaluate Stocks: Fundamental Analysis for Financial Advisors
The Financial Advisor's Role in Estate Planning
Harvard's $57B Endowment: Allocation, Returns, and Lessons for Advisors
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