Andrew Barker, Senior Portfolio Manager of Artio Global Management LLC, will describe the reasons for the current financial turmoil including divergent global savings rates, a low real rate environment, US structural imbalances and overleveraged banks and consumers. He will offer our investment thesis for the international markets and discuss our current investment focus and subsequent portfolio positioning.

• The financial crisis and how we got here:
  • Developing countries' savings glut versus Anglo-Saxon countries' savings deficit
  • Consequences of a low real-rate environment
  • US structural imbalances
  • Overleveraging of developed market banking sector and US / UK households
• Market view:
  • Market fundamentals support international investment
• Our current view:
  • Where we see investment opportunities

Each of the 3 sequential phases of the retirement cycle: accumulation, investment, and distribution reflect life stages in which individuals and groups exhibit phase-specific and distinctive financial decision-making behaviors. There is a strong and emerging body of knowledge about such life cycle behavioral decision-making. It is imperative for retirement plan designers to incorporate this growing knowledge in the plan design. Such applications are expected to produce more efficient and effective future plans. This presentation explores the existing knowledge and their integration techniques in the retirement plan designs of the future.

Given baby boomers' longevity, we need to redefine aging and what it means to grow older. Longer lives bring with them major concerns for families, both financially and emotionally. Long Term Care has become an essential financial planning component.

In this session, we will discuss when to consider policies, and how to design an appropriate plan, including tax ramifications. Two case studies will be presented: one for Executive Benefits and one for individuals with insufficient income for complete long term care coverage.

This session focuses on the 6th step of the financial planning process as held by the CFP Board of Standards: “monitoring the recommendations.” We will discuss what components of the financial plan should be reviewed; what it means to hold a “renewal meeting”, how we measure success and fulfill our obligations as expressed in our client engagements.

Despite being a requirement for FINRA-registered brokers, and a matter of fiduciary protection for registered investment advisors, most financial planners today give short shrift to risk tolerance questionnaires. But does all this really mean that risk tolerance questionnaires are universally worthless, and that there's no value to trying to measure a client's risk tolerance by any means? Absolutely not! Instead, what's necessary is to delve deeper on both fronts. This session will explore in greater depth exactly what risk tolerance is and what you're trying to measure, and consider what's required to truly design a quality risk tolerance questionnaire or to properly assess risk tolerance for clients.

What's an unfunded trust? Perhaps the titleholder to the asset (home, account, or business interest) is incapacitated or dead. Perhaps 'nothing was done' when the first spouse died and now the surviving spouse has come to you, 6 years later, wanting to know 'whether there are any problems?'

Join Peter S. Myers to survey the types of problems that arise with "failure to fund" situations and discuss possible solutions, both creative and traditional, to these common problems.

In today's crowded marketplace, it's vital to position yourself as the advisor of choice. A good public relations and networking strategy can help you generate buzz and build share of mind.

Join marketing expert Marie Swift to learn how you can become a trusted resource for select journalists and harness the power of Purpose-Driven Social Networking. As a special bonus, Marie will share her top 10 low-cost strategies for boosting business and raising credibility on a budget.

Advisors often rely upon correlations derived from historical data to reduce the volatility of their clients' portfolios. Well, there is an old saying, "The only things that go up in a down market are correlations." Join us as we lay the foundation for migrating from relative risk thresholds to absolute risk thresholds in your asset allocation models.

When can I retire? How much will I receive? Will my benefits be taxed? Your clients have questions about Social Security and here's where you can find the answers.

Social Security explored from the perspective of the financial advisor and/or tax practitioner, focusing on what you need to know to advise your clients. Worksheets and references allow you to be "in the know" about how Social Security affects your clients.

Three keys to helping your clients understand energy:

1. Explain volatility: Supply/demand? Speculation? Manipulation? Politics?
2. Next 10 years: Capacity and time constrainsts of domestic supply. Hurdles to getting supplies on line (scientific, cost, environmental, political)
3. Impact of alternatives. Role of energy in portfolios? Owning oil companies vs. Commodities Funds/ETF's vs. Managed Futures vs. Direct Ownership

CRM Software has become a mission critical piece in running a successful firm, allowing you to increase your service to clients as well as your efficiency and profitability.

In this session we will explore the top features and functions of CRM software programs and how they can make an impact your practice. We will include “best practice” ideas for successfully implementing a CRM strategy.

The investment implications of changing states of "-flation" and the impact it will have on your clients' portfolios. Economies, at varying speeds, will be moving from an era of disinflation to a "-flation" regime. And that "-flation" regime will not be static.

Michael will lead a discussion around various consumer scams and investment product related fraud

Successful financial businesses are built on trust, and referrals are no different. Your professional contacts must develop faith that you’ll serve their clients most effectively. This presentation explores how to successfully demonstrate your professional expertise — winning over referral advocates in an intentional, step by step process. Participants learn why professionals such as CPA's and attorneys make referrals and how to gain their trust — and potential access to their most valued clients.

This session is designed for successful, established advisors who want to strengthen their approach to human capital management. You will learn how some of the best managed firms in the industry have overcome their human capital challenges through adapting their organizations and following an ongoing, proactive approach to recruiting.

This hands-on workshop will provide you with opportunities to interact with peers and identify specific action steps to take to improve how you recruit, align and retain employees. Learn how to:

• Develop an organizational structure that helps you gain efficiency and maximize capacity.
• Create a compelling message to position your firm for recruiting candidates who are a match with your company culture.
• Find top talent through identifying the most effective recruiting channels and conducting an efficient candidate search process.
• Identify candidates that fit with your firm's culture and values through key interviewing questions and techniques.
• Ensure your hiring leads to retention by providing new employees a consistent training and on-boarding process.

Dr. Landsverk will speak on complications of cognitive decline. Using case studies and examples, she will address warning signs that a client may have a decline in judgment or capacity, and engage the audience in discussion about what steps to take to address these issues.

The transformative nature of well implemented solutions can make a firm more efficient, freeing up time to focus on appropriate new business activity and servicing clients more effectively. The range of solutions entering the market place is ever expanding. Making the right decision requires extensive due diligence.

Whether you are a new firm or old, take this opportunity to hear what Parallel Advisors LLC, a San Francisco wealth management firm, has implemented and the reasons behind the decisions. Parallel has created an open architecture and scalable platform that allows the firm to provide a high level of service to their clients while keeping a sharp eye on the business of the business.

Everybody talks about the untapped opportunities available in the middle/upper middle class market but no one offers concrete ideas on how to profitably serve this market. We have built a successful practice in this market by growing our own talent and using the Alliance of Cambridge Advisors practice management model.

During this presentation you will learn how we have evolved, the lessons we have learned along the way and whether this model could be a fit for your own practice. In addition, you will learn how this practice has grown within a state chartered trust company model and how these trustee services integrate into a financial planning practice.

Client's portfolio's are down. Estate Tax Exemptions are up. Interest Rates are down (but rising).

What does this mean for client's estate plans? What techniques are going to work better now?

This is the class you want to attend to stay current on what is happening to your client's estate plans. This session will focus on the current economic environment and discuss how estate planning has changed since the downturn. We will discuss planning for wealth (i.e. taxable) estates as well as for middle-class (i.e. non-taxable) estates. We will examine techniques to shift future growth and income in tax-advantaged manners.

Managing in Mayhem: The recent market meltdown will trigger a prolific outburst of changes in how planning practices are managed, an evolution that will lead to the extinction of some practices, and the enhanced viability of many others. How are advisors coping with the change, and what changes will we need to make in the near- and mid-term future to not only survive, but prosper in mayhem?

Worldwide needs for energy, water, transportation and communication networks are projected to reach $53 trillion through 2030 (OECD, 2007). Today, there is a liquid market of securities available for investors to access global infrastructure, which has historically provided important diversification benefits, enhancing portfolio returns and reducing risk.

You have worked hard to earn your clients' trust by helping them manage their assets and protect their financial wealth. Yet a single serious loss can wipe out all the benefits of a solid financial plan. A complex lifestyle requires a sophisticated group of advisors.

Learn how to work with your clients to properly align their insurance program and incorporate personal risk management into the comprehensive financial plan you have developed. We will show you how to identify gaps in coverage and how to maximize insurance dollars spent. This presentation will include case studies of actual clients and the risk solutions provided.

As financial planners, we can be called upon to wear many hats with our clients: advisor, advocate, facilitator, analyst, counselor and leader to name just a few. How does this impact our need for personal and professional growth? What role models can we turn to? How do we best invest in ourselves? Might we be playing it too safe? Can old dogs be taught new tricks? Join Jonathan Guyton, CFP(R) - no stranger to challenging our profession's conventions - for a wide-ranging and perhaps surprising presentation on enhancing how we "show up" for our clients.

Today an important planning issue is to insure our clients can obtain and maintain adequate health coverage until they reach Medicare eligibility.

We will discuss federal and state laws including COBRA, Cal-COBRA, HIPAA, MRMIP & AB1672 that provide a safety net of coverage for your clients. Current trends, including Health Savings Accounts (HSA's), Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans, will also be covered.

As the use of annuities increases, particularly amongst baby boomers planning for retirement, professional advisors face more and more situations where they must properly report on and plan for annuity transactions. However, annuities are subject to unique rules of taxation. In this session, we will cover the income and estate tax treatment of both deferred and immediate annuities during life and death, with a particular focus on the complex rules and significant areas of ambiguity that apply to post-death distribution requirements from deferred annuities.

In this session, you will learn what's new for your individual clients in 2009 including alternative minimum tax, capital gain and itemized deduction changes. We will explore what's new for your business clients in 2009 including depreciation and business credit changes; hear how our new President will change tax policy and how we might adjust planning for looming higher taxes.

Compare the results of the same financial plan using goal-based software versus cash flow-based software. Each member of the panel will use a different financial planning program to run a controlled case and look at how the different software packages handle the plan.

In this interactive session the panel will show the effects of changing assumptions, goals, rates of returns and more with MoneyGuidePro, Money Tree Total Planning System, and Naviplan.

What differentiates companies that grow and thrive from those that struggle as they grow? Is there a road map to help smaller companies better plan their growth and to hire the right people to support that growth? The answer is yes.

This presentation will identify the six most critical factors that differentiate successful from unsuccessful companies of up to 60 employees. It is based on the statistically significant research of James Fisher, author of "Navigating the Growth Curve".

Ms. Phillippay will present materials addressing current state and federal registration and regulatory requirements for financial planners in California and discuss current trends in regulatory examinations, hot exam topic areas and anticipated regulatory reforms.

Many bond investors view their fixed income exposure as a portfolio dampener or event risk insurance. Therefore, they construct their fixed income portfolios with a narrow view of risk focused purely on principal protection. However, in a rising interest rate environment, a conservative allocation to treasuries, agencies and investment grade corporate bonds may leave a portfolio exposed to interest rate and inflation risk while foregoing potentially attractive returns in other fixed income sectors. Carl Kaufman will question the conventional thinking by discussing the benefits of dynamic risk management techniques and challenge investors' perception of risk in the bond market.

Planning for same sex couples is as complicated as ever. Whether your clients are registered domestic partners, married or not legally recognized, the rules and strategies differ as to how best protect your clients and assure that their wealth remains as intact as possible. Also, planning for incapacity and charitable gifting offers opportunities to show your expertise.

Please join Deb L. Kinney, an estate planning attorney with expertise in LGBT estate planning for an update on how changes in the law and new tax rules determine how one can best advise their clients who must navigate an ever more complicated world.

The cost and face of eldercare has changed dramatically in just one generation. The days of the non-working housewife as the no cost elder caregiver are almost gone forever. Aging clients are facing the challenge of funding retirement and the potentially devastating cost of long term care. It's for long term care. Eldercare responsibilities are estimated to cost corporations $34 billion annually in lost productivity. Here's what you need to know for your clients and your business.

The oft-recommended 4% rule suggests spending an inflation-adjusted 4% of initial wealth and investing in a portfolio with between 50% and 75% equities. However, combining a fixed spending plan with volatile investments is fundamentally flawed and creates the potential for large unspent surpluses or catastrophic spending shortfalls.

This seminar quantifies the cost of this inefficiency, estimated at between 10%-20% of wealth, and suggests an alternative investment approach that combines Treasury STRIPs, longevity insurance and equity investments to generate retirement income that never declines, lasts for life and increases with market performance.

Where do financial strategies come from? What are the particular areas of knowledge and skill that are required for good strategy-making? And which strategy-making skills lead to the highest levels of client trust and relationship commitment? While our profession's body of knowledge has traditionally had little to say about this, a growing body of research is beginning to yield insights into the skills planners need in order to maximize the success of their planning relationships.

This session will provide you with a new way to think about your ongoing development as a financial planner and will show how the right balance of strategy-making skills can better prepare you to be an effective change-agent in your clients' lives.

While plans designed to minimize estate and income taxes may perfectly achieve those objectives, such estate plans can have unintended consequences to the individual beneficiaries and fiduciaries.

This session will focus on the practical (non-tax) aspects of the post-death administration of wills and trusts. Join a lively discussion of planning pitfalls and available strategies designed to avoid disputes.

This session will discuss current strategies for hedge funds. And how might hedge funds fit into investment portfolios. Anne Casscells will also discuss the top economic/financial issues that scare or concern fund managers

1. Redemption / issues facing industry
2. Regulation changes to come
3. What will the industry look like in the future
4. Opportunities for investors going forward

Older clients want their journey to be well funded, managed with sound legal tools, and systems in place to secure the care they need when they need it. Older clients can develop dementia and they need checks and balances to keep them from being targets of fraud or exploitation or even a victim of self-neglect because of changing cognition. Designing long term care plans can reduce anxiety, worry and provide safeguards for greater peace of mind for clients and their families.

An interactive dialogue pinpointing the financial and emotional concerns of elders, boomers and their adult children. This presentation is a road map for financial professionals to help their clients begin the crucial conversations that precede legacy planning. Benefits for Financial Professionals:

• Enhanced communication skills about difficult subjects
• Identifying the resistance to legacy planning
• Tools for intergenerational dialogue
• Increased comfort level with clients emotional concerns

"By the way, I have cancer": Working with clients after their diagnosis. In her third annual appearance at NorCal, CFP and grief counselor Libby Palomeque continues her series on difficult client emotions. This year, the topic is on working with clients who've received a life-threatening diagnosis.

The presentation presents practical insights on what to say, and what not to say when a client announces they have a serious health issue. This will progress to tips and techniques for use if and when the situation becomes terminal. The final portion of this presentation will be dedicated to helping you cope with your own emotions. At its core, financial planning is about making people's lives better. Death is a part of life. This presentation aims to empower you as a planner to be as effective at the end of your client relationships as at their beginning.

Are you worried about building and maintaining trust with prospects and clients?

In this session, you will learn an easy system to understand what drives an individual's money behaviors, so you can break down barriers and smooth interpersonal relations — on a sustained and permanent basis. Learn how to quickly read your client's signals and adapt in specific ways. With this proven approach, you can minimize the emotions that interfere with the work that needs to be done.

This session features the results of the largest study ever conducted on how gender and personality type (as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, or MBTI®) influence financial attitudes and behavior among college-educated professionals.