Every once in a while, we get the following question: “I came across these old stock certificates. What should I do with them?” Stock certificates come from any number of places, particularly when you’re clearing out the effects of a deceased loved one.

Don’t believe the marketing hype about rolling your 401(k) into an IRA just because you left your job. You don’t have to. Your next move should make sense in your overall financial plan and your Roth conversion strategy.

As mentioned, Form 5498 is issued by the financial institution responsible for your IRA. It is issued for any year in which money or securities were transferred into that account. It could include IRA contributions, rollovers, Roth conversions and re-characterizations.

One of the accepted facts in the world of investments is this: When the stock market goes down, Roth conversions start looking more attractive to investors. Since the coronavirus ended a decade-plus bull market earlier this year, that point seems to be more amplified. This article aims to help explain the benefits of doing a Roth conversion in a down market, as well as outline 7 things you should consider when doing so, especially for the first time.

Roth conversions can make absolute sense for people, when done with a specific, realistic, and intentional goal in mind. Once the goal is established, then putting together a plan, which you systematically execute, evaluate, and adjust, will help you ensure that your Roth conversions go more smoothly.

Of all the articles I have read, not one of them was written from a client’s perspective. After all, every truthful adviser will agree that it is times like these where financial advisers should be adding the most value to their clients—wouldn’t be useful to try and capture the client’s perspective in this? So, here is a list of ways your financial adviser should be earning their keep—written from what I believe to be the client’s perspective.