Scott Martin

Contributor

Executive Editor
The Wealth Advisor

A veteran in the business of digital and print journalism, Martin joined The Wealth Advisor in January 2009. His name now appears in most U.S. financial advisors’ inboxes each day as sender of record on the 11 million emails we deploy each month.

He writes for an audience of 280,000 wealth and financial advisors including 205,000 registered investment advisors (the largest digital audience of RIAs of any industry publication), managing a staff of 5 editors and 2 researchers to produce daily wealth management news and 8 specialty newsletters focused on top-of-mind industry topics like tax protection, practice management, technology and TAMPs (turnkey asset management programs).

He also moderates industry panels and compiles our specialty annual guides on trusts, technology and TAMPs: America's Most Advisor Friendly Trust Companies, America's Best TAMPs and America's Best Trust Technology Buyers Guide.

In prior lives he served as lead market writer at CNN, ran Buyside magazine, wrote for Institutional Investor, Research, ALPHA and other publications, and dabbled in hedge fund land.

Time To Play Offense: National Advisors Trust Raises The Stakes Beyond Survival

The post-crash decade reinforced the industry’s zero-sum competitive posture. Now it’s time to surround yourself with people willing to reach higher.

JPMorgan Strategist Sees Early Signs of Credit Market Stress

Supply-chain disruptions and a demand shock caused by the virus could already be causing cash-flow problems for businesses, the strategists say.

$2 Trillion Rescue Plan Keeps Contribution Caps In Place

As had the version passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee, in addition to bailing out certain multiemployer pension plans and temporarily reducing funding requirements for single-employer pension plans, the legislation would freeze the annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for overall contributions to defined contribution plans and for the maximum annual benefit under a defined benefit plan, effective for calendar years beginning after Dec. 31, 2030.

RMDs Are Back

For taxpayers who are relying on their retirement plans on a month-to-month basis for living expenses, the expiration of the suspension won’t be an issue. For those who had extra cash on hand, however, it could provide something of a windfall this tax season.

Retirement Account Balances Hit Record

Despite the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic—or possibly because of it—US retirement account balances rose to record levels during the fourth quarter of 2020, as reported by Fidelity Investments. The firm said individual contributions to individual retirement accounts (IRA), as well as 401(k) and 403(b) retirement accounts remained strong during the last three months of the year.