If you are a financial professional trying to foster business with women investors, a few suggestions and research could help you develop more business.

54% of women do not currently work with a financial professional. But 50% would consider seeking financial advice as they get older. Here are a few suggestions to help you understand your market and surround yourself with the right prospects.

1. Generational differences: the greatest opportunity for growth lies with individuals in the 27-41 age bracket. 66% of women in this age bracket would seek out financial advice. While baby boomer women are more interested in receiving help with income planning in retirement, 67% of Gen-X women feel investment planning is their most important financial objective.

2. Hot button Issues: Women are concerned over managing finances in times of uncertainty. 29% of the women polled would be open to seeking the help of a financial advisor when dealing with a change in family status such as divorce or death of a parent or spouse. 62% of those ages 51-60 cite estate planning as essential.

3. Communication: When selecting a financial professional, 55% consider communication skills a valuable asset. The gender gap on this issue was most notable in the 42-50 age group, where 89% of women cited communication and listening skills as extremely important.

Women are interested in working with a financial professional who understands their need to feel connected to the process, and is willing to take on a more methodical, collaborative approach.

April 17th is tax day. What do you do if you owe tax and don’t have the money to pay the bill? A recent survey was conducted to see how people deal with a tax bill they can’t pay.

Never ignore a tax deadline. The IRS does charge interest and penalties for late tax filings. Here are a few options to help you pay Uncle Sam.

1.Pay with a credit card. You can use your credit card to pay taxes through two IRS-authorized service providers. www.pay1040.com or www.officialpayments.com Both accept major credit cards. Even though there is a fee for this service, it will be lower then the interest the IRS would charge, plus you could get frequent flyer miles. Note: only do this if you can pay off the card when the bill comes in.

2.Take out a home equity line of credit. The interest rate on an equity line is much lower then the interest rate on a credit card. Consider this option if you need to pay over time.

3.Request an installment plan with the IRS. You can apply for an installment plan on Form 9465. The IRS is required to accept installments if you paid your taxes on time for the past five years owe less than $10,000 and propose to pay off the debt within three years. The IRS will charge interest on the unpaid balance.

People are living longer than ever before. It is not unreasonable to assume that individuals will spend up to 30 years in retirement. As a result, everything must last longer, including your retirement income.

Take control of your financial future with a self-directed retirement plan. Hurry! You can still make 2006 contributions into your IRA before the April 16th tax deadline. Visit www.theentrustgroup.com to open an account today!

In the last few years, investors have done well buying and reselling property. Now, with certain areas of the country experiencing flat or downward prices on real estate, many of us are faced with holding property for the long term. This means, those who may have not counted on the strategy of becoming a landlord, suddenly find themselves in this situation.

So, you may be asking what does it takes to be a good landlord.

1.Assemble your team of advisors. Develop a relationship with a real estate agent who is knowledgeable about local rental rates and other issues that could impact your bottom line. If you personally don’t want to manage the property, retain a local property manager who has been around for at least three years, and does nothing but property management. Of course, this does come at a cost; the average is 10% of the gross rent per month.

2.Make sure you do credit and in some cases, criminal background checks on your prospective tenants. Check employment, previous landlord references (go back past their existing landlord) as well as bank and personal references. You are checking to make sure the tenant paid on time and left property in at least as good a condition as when they leased it.

3.It is wise to have both you and your tenant carry adequate insurance. I would suggest having a clause in your lease that makes the tenant provide current rental insurance to you.

4.Get a good accountant. You have deductions for expenses, depreciation and other potential positive opportunities to save money on taxes. A good accountant with knowledge in real estate would be worth your time and money.

5.Finally “to thy own self be true” if land lording is not for you, bite the bullet and hire the property manager. No use in wasting time and money if managing your own property seems like a nightmare. Factor the cost of the management fee into your bottom line.

With defaults and foreclosures on the rise, rental prices in most markets should go up. It is yet another opportunity to ensure continued growth and income, even though your original plan may have been a buy/sell strategy.

An interesting article from CFP Board for all of us to ponder. Enjoy. Lisa

The statistics are dire. Studies suggest that around 75% of the baby boom generation is not prepared for retirement. But we’ve heard the numbers so often that they no longer seem to have much impact. It’s like living along an earthquake fault. You know someday the Big One will come, but the warnings are so familiar — and that day seems so far off — that you hardly pay any attention. Well, the statistics on women and retirement are even more alarming than for baby boomers as a whole, and the first tremors of socio-economic crisis can already be felt.

According to 101 Facts on the Status of Workingwomen, published by the advocacy group Business and Professional Women USA, two-thirds of women are in jobs that do not provide either a traditional pension or a 401(k). For women who do have pensions, the median income is just above half that for men (In 2004, the median income for women was $12,080; for men, it was $21,102). Some 45% of older women who live alone are classified as living near or under the poverty threshold of $9,060 per year. Social Security is the only source of income for 25% of elderly non-married women. The U.S. has the highest poverty rate for older women of all post-industrial nations. Why are women so much worse off when it comes to retirement?

“Longevity and care-giving are the biggest issues,” says Cindy Hounsell, president of the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER). “Women live longer than men but they also work fewer years and earn less. Women remain the primary caregivers, and they interrupt their working lives to provide care. As a result, they must plan for a longer retirement but they start off with less income.” According to the WISER report Unique Challenges Faced by Women in Preparing for and Managing Their Retirement Years, over 61% of women living alone after age 65 have income under $15,000 a year. The report also states that more than half of all informal caregivers say their careers have been adversely affected by that responsibility, and that caregivers are two-and-a-half times more likely than non-caregivers to live in poverty.

Women from all socio-economic backgrounds find themselves in the pension predicament. Hounsell, a regular speaker at conferences and seminars, describes how women nearing retirement regularly approach her after talks. “People sidle up to me in the hallway and ask for advice,” she says. “These are professional women, academics, the top women in their fields. But they have that deer-in-the-headlights look. They don’t have a penny for retirement.” This is one area at least where women have achieved parity with men: Both genders are equally unprepared when it comes to planning for retirement.

“A coaching process needs to occur,” says Marilyn Capelli Dimitroff, president of Capelli Financial Services, Inc. and a member of CFP Board’s Board of Directors, “and the first step is for women to get clarity about their situations. They need to understand where they are. And if nothing changes, where does that lead?”

If nothing changes, that will certainly lead to big trouble for a lot of older women. Many women may plan to work longer, perhaps even beyond retirement age, in order to fill the pension gap. That’s a fine strategy — unless your health or marriage fails or a loved one or family member requires care. The WISER report cites a study of 51- to 61-year-olds that found more than three quarters of the people surveyed in this age group experience divorce, job loss, health problems, widowhood, or the onset of frailty among parents or in-laws. Disconnected: 10 Ways Americans Lack a Realistic Understanding of Retirement Security, a review of retirement research published by the Society of Actuaries, cites a study in which almost 40% of those surveyed said they retired earlier than they had expected; half of this group said poor health, either their own of that of a loved one, was the reason. Crises like these are trying during the best of times. But if they occur before retirement preparations are complete, the financial impact can be enormous.

That’s why Dimitroff counsels her female clients to take care of their own retirement needs first. “Women often make decisions that put their children’s well-being ahead their own,” she says. “I advise them not to give money to their children on demand. If a woman is bereaved and a life insurance policy pays out, that can look like a lot of money. She may think, ‘Maybe I can help out so-and-so.’ She has to realize, though, that she may need to live on that money for the next 30 years, and that securing her own financial future is a huge gift to her children.”

Dimitroff believes financial literacy is gradually improving among younger women. “By marrying later, women are having longer career trajectories and greater periods of financial responsibility before perhaps interrupting their careers to raise a family. That provides a very different start in life than women of previous generations.” There are some statistics — positive ones this time! — to back up this observation. Between 1997 and 2004, the number of firms owned by women increased by 17% nationwide, twice the rate of firms in general, according to 101 Facts on the Status of Workingwomen. Women-owned firms now represent 30% of all businesses in the U.S. The less positive news is, many of these firms are small businesses, and like so many small businesses they don’t offer much in the way of retirement benefits.

Dimitroff says she often observes a shifting of roles in women and men as they get older. “As men age, they tend to soften up a bit emotionally, while many women become more straightforward, more gung-ho about a career, charity work or doing something for themselves, like learning the piano. Retirement should not be a winding down of the good times, but a time for women to discover the possibilities of what they can do.” Sound retirement planning is the oil that will keep the good times rolling.

Did you know that the IRS will sell past returns back to you? That’s right. For $39.00 each, the IRS will sell you your past return. This is a valuable resource, especially if you are audited or your documents were destroyed. To order a past return, visit www.irs.gov.

As investors we need to be sensitive to the borrower who is about to lose their home. Often times, investors look at this opportunity as a way to “steal” a property. I believe we should try to do what we can to get a fair deal and solve the borrower’s problem. Even banks today are trying to cut deals with borrowers so they do not lose their home.

One source I would suggest investors cultivate that they may not have thought of is through the local consumer credit counseling agencies. These agencies try to help those who are in financial trouble. You could be a valuable source as someone who maybe able to assist the borrower before they lose their home. Visit The Association of Independent Consumer Credit counseling at www.aiccca.org or The National Foundation for Credit Counseling at www.nfcc.org. To find a location near you.