At this time of the year, finding planning opportunities in clients' tax returns is a goal for many financial advisors. But it's also a chance to assess your clients' overall financial situation, plus add value to the client-advisor relationship.

This simple checklist below is designed to help you use the tax return as a road map for exploring future planning strategies. The goal? Learn about your clients' current situation—and how'd they'd like to see it evolve in the future.

It's that time of year when many of your clients want to discuss tax strategies. But as an advisor, finding ways to help minimize your clients' tax exposure doesn't happen just once a year. With that in mind, you can use the tips below to help reduce your clients' tax bill and—perhaps more important—improve their overall financial outlook.

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 made significant changes to the way certain retirees can claim social security benefits. Specifically, new limitations were put in place to close existing loopholes. As a result, recent retirees will see the biggest impact, as many popular claiming strategies have been limited or eliminated altogether.