Important Information for Tax Season 2019

Contributed by: Lauren Adams, CFA®, CFP®

As we prepare for tax season, we want to keep you apprised of when you can expect to receive your tax documentation from Raymond James.

2019 Form 1099 mailing schedule

• January 31 – Mailing of Form 1099-Q and Retirement Tax Packages

• February 15 – Mailing of original Form 1099s

• February 28 – Begin mailing delayed and amended Form 1099s

• March 15 – Final mailing of any remaining delayed original Form 1099s

Additional important information

Delayed Form 1099s

In an effort to capture delayed data on original Form 1099s, the IRS allows custodians (including Raymond James) to extend the mailing date until March 15, 2020, for clients who hold particular investments or who have had specific taxable events occur. Examples of delayed information include:

• Income reallocation related to mutual funds, real estate investment, unit investment, grantor and royalty trusts, as well as holding company depositary receipts

• Processing of original issue discount and mortgage-backed bonds

• Expected cost basis adjustments including, but not limited to, accounts holding certain types of fixed income securities and options

If you do have a delayed Form 1099, we may be able to generate a preliminary statement for you for informational purposes only, as the form is subject to change.

Amended Form 1099s

Even after delaying your Form 1099, please be aware that adjustments to your Form 1099 are still possible. Raymond James is required by the IRS to produce an amended Form 1099 if notice of such an adjustment is received after the original Form 1099 has been produced. There is no cutoff or deadline for amended Form 1099 statements. The following are some examples of reasons for amended Form 1099s:

• Income reallocation

• Adjustments to cost basis (due to the Economic Stabilization Act of 2008)

• Changes made by mutual fund companies related to foreign withholding

• Tax-exempt payments subject to alternative minimum tax

• Any portion of distributions derived from U.S. Treasury obligations

What can you do?

You should consider talking to your tax professional about whether it makes sense to file an extension with the IRS to give you additional time to file your tax return, particularly if you held any of the aforementioned securities during 2019.

If you receive an amended Form 1099 after you have already filed your tax return, you should consult with your tax professional about the requirements to re-file based on your individual tax circumstances. You can find additional information here.

As you complete your taxes for this year, a copy of your tax return is one of the most powerful financial planning information tools we have. Whenever possible, we request that you send a copy of your return to your financial planner, associate financial planner, or client service associate upon filing. Thank you for your assistance in providing this information, which enhances our services to you.

We hope you find this additional information helpful. Please call us if you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming tax season.

Lauren Adams, CFA®, CFP®, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Director of Operations at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.® She leads back-office activities and manages the client service, marketing, finance, and human resources departments.

---

Please note, changes in tax laws or regulations may occur at any time and could substantially impact your situation. Raymond James financial advisors do not render advice on tax or legal matters. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional.

Jeanette LoPiccolo, CRPC® Branch Professional of the Year

Contributed by: Lauren Adams, CFA®, CFP®

The Center is thrilled to announce that our very own Client Service Manager, Jeanette LoPiccolo, was recognized as one of three Outstanding Branch Professionals at the 2018 Raymond James National Conference. Raymond James’s 1000+ branches had the opportunity to nominate candidates for the award, and Raymond James chose Jeanette from among this elite group.

As you can see from this nomination form excerpt, we are very lucky to have her as part of our team:

“Jeanette is the consummate service professional.  She combines superior technical ability with genuine care for clients. Jeanette consistently anticipates client needs and is always looking for WOW moments. 

Jeanette is a true joy to have on our team. Her knowledge and skills are extremely deep, and our whole team benefits from her leadership and example. From securities based lending to K-1 procurement to cost basis issues, she is adept at nearly every complex operational area available. And, if she ever does not know the answer, she is the first to volunteer to find out and report back to the group. She is always willing to help newer coworkers and assist with a complex problem.

She is a wonderful example of our firm’s Core Value of Continuous Learning and Personal Growth. In addition to holding her securities licenses and the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ designation, she is preparing to take the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ exam this fall.

On top of all of this, she is a champion for our firm’s charitable causes, organizing team-wide volunteer days, company matching activities, and community sponsorship events.”

Please join The Center Team in congratulating Jeanette on this well-deserved award!

Lauren Adams, CFA®, CFP® is Director of Client Services at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.®

The RJFS Outstanding Branch Professional Award is designed to recognize support professionals in RJFS branches who contribute to the success of their advisors and teams. Each year, three winners are selected and recognized during this year's National Conference for Professional Development. To be considered for this award, Branch Professionals must have been affiliated with Raymond James for at least one year and could not have won the award in the past.

---

Three New Faces on the Client Service Team

Contributed by: Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA

It’s been one year since I last introduced new members of the client service team, and exciting things continue to happen within this department at The Center. We’ve added another three members to the team in the last few months. It’s my privilege to introduce them to you here, and I hope you’ll join me in giving them a very warm welcome to The Center Family!

Abigail Fischer joined us after recently graduating with a degree in Economics from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. She caught the financial planning bug from a young age and was heavily involved with financial education projects on campus. Most notably, she co-founded a counseling and financial workshop program—that was available to 2,000 students—with the goal of helping her peers build a foundation for a lifetime of financial well-being. She recently moved to Michigan to be closer to family, and we were lucky enough to snag her for a client service position this July. In addition to client service work, Abigail also helps manage The Center’s social media presence, and she loves to hear from clients and friends of The Center regarding blog topic ideas (or even just a Facebook Like or Share!).

Andrew O’Laughlin also came onboard at the end of July and joined our team after several years of experience at another advisory firm—experience he’s already putting to excellent use in his first few months as a client service team member. In addition, he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont and has completed a Masters of Business Administration at Wayne State University. If that wasn’t impressive enough, he has also obtained licenses in insurance and securities, and plans to continue to pursue more in the future (all with two little ones at home, by the way). He’s a great example of The Center’s “Continuous Learning and Personal Growth” Core Value, among others.

Joining us at the end of September, Sarah McDonell is our most recent addition to The Center’s client service team. Sarah graduated from University of Michigan with a degree in English Literature. Sarah also joined us from another financial advisory team and was attracted by The Center’s commitment to excellent client service, continual education, and strong work ethic. Speaking of which, she hopes to begin studying for the Series 7 license in the near future. Sarah also enjoys marketing and social media, as well as striving to WOW clients on a daily basis—a mindset we, of course, love.

Please join me in welcoming Abigail, Andrew, and Sarah to The Center Family! We’re so thrilled to have them onboard, and they can’t wait to meet all of our clients and friends soon.

Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA is Director of Client Services at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.®

Gerri Harmer Nominated for Outstanding Branch Professional Award

Contributed by: Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA

The Center is thrilled to announce that Gerri Harmer was a nominee for the 2017 Raymond James Financial Services Outstanding Branch Professional Award! This award is designed to recognize support professionals who have been affiliated with Raymond James for at least one year who contribute to the success of their advisors and teams.

We are blessed to have a whole team of exceptional professionals at The Center, and Gerri’s leadership by example is a major contributor to our Service First mentality. In the words of Partner Tim Wyman, “Service is in her DNA – it is who she is.”

Chances are, if you’ve ever visited our offices or called in to The Center, you’ve had a chance to experience Gerri’s friendliness and helpfulness firsthand. Gerri’s personal mantra is to “Make people’s lives better.” She sets a goal for herself and the firm to make our clients feel like family on the phone and when they walk in the door. Gerri’s genuine love of people is evident to everyone that has the privilege to be around her.

Partner Melissa Joy comments about Gerri, “She embodies our firm’s culture of strong work ethic, compassionate and effective leadership, and commitment to financial planning.”

Gerri is also the leading force behind The Center’s Health and Wellness initiative since 2007. This committee regularly sponsors awareness events—such as lunch and learns on the importance of sleep or brings in meditation facilitators—and has allowed us to be recognized at various local and national levels (such as the Governor’s Fitness Award and the American Heart Association’s Fit-Friendly Award).The Health and Wellness committee has become a major contributor to what we believe is a very strong culture here at The Center. Through Gerri’s leadership, our team has grown and become much more connected through a variety of methods.

Many of you comment about what a joy Gerri is and how lucky we are to have her – we couldn’t agree more. Furthermore, she recognizes service excellence in other staff members and is a pro at publicly celebrating others’ successes to help motivate the team to continue to WOW our clients and share effective service techniques amongst ourselves. Gerri sets an incredibly high bar for the rest of our team to aim for in terms of Service First attitude and team dedication.

Please join us in congratulating Gerri on her nomination!

Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA is Director of Client Services at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.®

Introducing Secure Messaging - A New Way to Help Keep Your Personal Information Safe

Contributed by: Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA

From presidential campaign email hacking to “zombie” internet-enabled devices, it’s hard to watch the news lately and deny that cybersecurity will likely be one of the most important issues and challenges of our time. Cybersecurity is a constant threat for individuals, businesses, and governments alike, and it’s a subject that we take very seriously here at Center for Financial Planning.

That’s why we continually work to find ways to make sure your personal information is kept safe and secure. Going forward, you should expect to see messages from us that contain personally identifiable information (such as Social Security Numbers or account numbers) sent via Raymond James’ Secure Messaging system. Secure Messaging allows us to encrypt the entire message we send, not just the attachment. Opening and replying to this email is fairly straightforward once you get the hang of it, and the process depends on whether or not you have an Investor Access account.

For Clients That Have Investor Access

You can receive and view a secure email on your computer, open the secure email, and open the secure email attachment entitled SecureMessageAtt.html (opening the attachment may differ slightly depending on the internet browser you use). If viewing from a mobile device, just click the link embedded within the message itself. Then, you will be able to click a button to “Read secure message” by logging in with your Investor Access email address, password, and security question. Your secure message will then appear. Need to send us an attachment back? Make sure you reply within the Secure Messaging system (not just to the email you received alerting you that have received a secure message from Raymond James Financial), and use the Attach a File, Add, and Upload buttons to send us the document back.

Want step by step instructions with screenshots? Check out this link.

For Clients That Do Not Have Investor Access

You can receive and view a secure email on your computer, open the secure email, and open the secure email attachment entitled SecureMessageAtt.html (opening the attachment may differ slightly depending on the internet browser you use). If viewing from a mobile device, just click the link embedded within the message itself. Then, you will be able to click a button to “Read secure message.” The first time you open a secure email, you’ll go through a one-time registration process. After that, you access a secure message by logging in with the password you’ve established. Your secure message will then appear. Need to send us an attachment back? Make sure you reply within the Secure Messaging system (not just to the email you received alerting you that have received a secure message from Raymond James Financial), and use the Attach a File, Add, and Upload buttons to send us the document back.

Want step-by-step instructions with screenshots? Check out this link.

Other Secure Ways to Send and Receive Information

Furthermore, as an alternative to Secure Messaging we also continue to use e-Signature, to allow clients to easily and securely sign forms electronically, and, our online content management and file sharing platform, the Vault. Haven’t tried the Vault yet? Get signed up for Investor Access and discover this easy way to upload secure information for your planner to review! Check out the blog articles we’ve already written on e-Signature and Vault for more information, or contact your Client Service Associate. We love when clients start using these tools for the first time, and we’re happy to walk through Secure Messaging, the Vault, or e-Signature together!

Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA is Director of Client Services at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.®

---

The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any opinions are those of Lauren Adams and not necessarily those of Raymond James.

We're Expanding!

Contributed by: Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA

If you happened to visit The Center in December (perhaps for your annual review or maybe just to drop off a gift for Toys for Tots), you may have noticed an unusual amount of construction workers milling around and near our offices. You may have heard the occasional drill or hammer while chatting with Gerri or having a coffee in the reception area. You may have even come in to find a wall there one day and gone the next. To our December visitors, thank you for pardoning our dust. We really hope you’ll like what we did with the place.

2016 was a major year of investment in our team and resources at The Center. I was hired in July as the Director of Client Services, Jeanette LoPiccolo, CRPC®, who was hired as a Client Service Manager, Emily Lucido and Ashley Frank, both Client Service Associates, all came on in September, and Josh Bitel, another Client Service Associate, was added to our team in December. These new faces brought enthusiasm and fresh ideas with them… but things also started to get pretty cramped around here. And so, to cap of a year of major investment, the partners decided that it was also time to expand our physical location as well.

Now, visitors to The Center will notice that the office opens up both to the left and to the right from the lobby. We’ve added over 2,000 square feet of new space, new offices, new workstations, and even a new conference room where we can hold additional client and team meetings. We’ll be putting the finishing touches on our new space in the coming weeks; walls will receive special touches and additional furniture will arrive. This new space will allow those that were previously sharing close workspaces to spread out, and for us to arrange our departments, including Financial Planning, Investments, and Client Service, together to help share knowledge and function more cohesively. With the addition, Matt Trujillo, CFP®, and Nick Defenthaler, CFP®, will now have room to host client meetings in their offices.

We also have room to grow.  This year marks 32 years since our founding. Our commitment to the financial planning process, putting clients first, and providing exceptional service hasn’t changed since Dan Boyce, Marilyn Gunther, and Estelle Wade started the firm in 1985, and we know our steadfast commitment will allow us to continue to grow into the future. So come in, say “hi!” and see our new space!

Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA is Director of Client Services at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.®

Diving into Raymond James: Conference Style

Contributed by: Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA

In September, I was given the wonderful opportunity to attend the Raymond James Branch Professionals Foundations Conference, which an intensive hands-on educational experience for new employees of Raymond James-associated offices. Just as the weather was starting to cool in Michigan, I headed south to hot and humid Atlanta for the two-day training.

The roughly 30 attendees came from all over the United States, including as far as California and Washington. I’m proud to say that Michigan represented well with five of us attending from different Michigan offices (which also gave us a chance to ask each other where to find the “pop” during breaks and actually be understood… although I’m still puzzling over my new southern friends’ tendency to ask for a “Coke” and then proceed to select a Sprite or Dr. Pepper).

We started the conference with a deep dive into Client Center, which is Raymond James’s command center for managing client accounts, and new account processes, where we learned everything from how to monitor the opening, funding, and ongoing maintenance of accounts to the difference between IRAs and SAR SEP IRAs and UTMAs and UGMAs. All the while gaining a newfound appreciation for acronyms!

Day two started with a bang.... which, if you’re an operations nerd like me, that means an hour and a half session on compliance! Two senior compliance professionals presented to us about how to best prepare for a branch audit and learn about other compliance best practices. They quizzed us on the most common compliance issues (spoiler: the most common issues generally center on advertising) and gave us plenty of time for questions and answers.

We then moved into sessions on how to quickly and efficiently conduct money movement, which is of critical importance for our clients, and reporting. I found the sessions on practice management and client reporting especially helpful, as it allows us to do everything from make sure account administration goes smoothly to conduct interesting analysis on our business. Our last session was on how to use social media to better understand our clients and connect with them on issues that are most important to them.

Since returning from the conference, I’ve already used what I’ve learned to run reports that allow me to better analyze the potential FDIC exposure of our clients and identify the different sweep options used by our managed accounts (both of these topics are especially relevant given new SEC money market reform rules). Also, I’m eager to tell our clients about the benefits of our secure document center called the Vault, which clients can access through their online Investor Access account and share documents back and forth with The Center team in a secure and organized way. I’m also jazzed about the ease of using eSignature, a convenient (and eco-friendly) way to electronically sign documents.

We ended our time together with a competitive game of Jeopardy to test what we’ve learned. The prize was your pick from a table of Raymond James swag. As good branch associates, we all learned the material quite well, so winning came down to who could raise their hands the fastest after the questions were asked. I even took to jumping in the air along with raising my hand, but sadly, another team was somehow quicker on the draw; my team came in second place. Next year, I hope to be able to attend the Raymond James Branch Professional Development Conference to learn more advanced concepts in technology, office procedures, and compliance… and for another chance at the Jeopardy Gold.

Lauren Adams, CFA®, MBA is Director of Client Services at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.®