SEI has launched a new advisor tax planning academy, which aims to help advisors sketch out new tax strategies to add more value to client relationships.
The program — three, hour-long educational webinars throughout 2015 — will give advisors tax tools and information designed to elevate the value they provide to clients as investment vehicles and products become increasingly commoditized.
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Each webinar will consist of a presentation from SEI’s "Tax Doctor" Dean Mioli and will include at least one case study and an in-depth Q&A session. The first webinar is scheduled for Feb. 23.
SEI Advisor Network director of investment planning Mioli said, "Investors don’t always recognize the value of the investment strategies advisors recommend, but they understand the returns they’re seeing and actual dollars they’re realizing. When you talk about tax dollars that’s something that resonates with almost everyone. With many investors still dealing with residual effects from the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, advisors that include effective tax planning strategies in their toolkit will have a differentiator that provides the kind of added value for which clients are looking."
The SEI Advisor Tax Planning Academy curriculum features three course levels that cover basic to advanced tax planning techniques.
101 Course (February 23) – The initial session will focus on the fundamentals of what tax returns can tell advisors about their clients/prospects and identify opportunities for enhancing the value of the services they are providing their clients. The webinar will also feature a comprehensive review of Form 1040.
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By GlobalData201 Course (June 29) – The second course will take a more in-depth look at how to implement the tax plan from the 1040 by using tax-managed investment strategies. The course will cover portfolio analysis from a tax perspective, non-qualified portfolio design, tax considerations in transitioning a portfolio, and benefits of asset location.
301 Course (August 31) – The final course covers how advisors can approach gifts and charitable transfers. The last class will also go into the use of trusts to minimize income tax volatility and smooth out income over several tax years.
SEI Advisor Network managing director and head of practice management services John Anderson said, "For more than fifteen years, SEI has worked to give advisors tax managed investment options to help minimize the amount of money that taxes take from their clients’ gains. The Advisor Tax Planning Academy is the next evolution in our effort to give them all of the tools they need to enhance their value and address common tax-related issues with their clients."
SEI manages over $14bn of its $47bn in tax-managed investments for investors through financial advisors as of December 31, 2014.
SEI’s Advisor Tax Planning Academy complements the other comprehensive tax-planning services SEI offers including a Tax Return Observation service.
Participants in the SEI Advisor Tax Planning Academy are eligible for one continuing education credit per course, awarded by the CFP Board and NASBA.
Participants are not required to take courses in sequential order and can register for all courses or any individual course based on their interests and skill level.
