As with many crises, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has put many issues into the spotlight that otherwise may not be top of mind for clients—like the importance of estate planning. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that you’ve had an uptick in the number of estate planning questions your clients are asking. They might wonder if their plan is up to date. Or maybe their lack of adequate planning has become a source of worry. In each case, you can help by covering some estate planning basics, including must-haves and how to review an existing plan.

Over the past month or so, the Practice Management team here at Commonwealth has reached out to our advisors across the country—particularly those in COVID-19 hot spots—to check in and hear firsthand how things were going. Of course, we wanted to make sure they were taken care of from a business standpoint. But, more important, we hoped to start conversations about their personal well-being.

With all of the headlines and news alerts surrounding the global pandemic and its economic implications, information security might not be top of mind for you or your clients right now. Scammers are counting on that. They’re hoping to exploit the health care crisis for their own commercial gain—preying on victims with scams targeted to the coronavirus and COVID-19.

How secure is your remote work environment? This question has always been important, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, constructing a proper home office with up-to-date security standards is more critical than ever. Even when shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted, many of us will err on the side of caution and continue to work remotely.

It’s a difficult choice: should parents focus on saving for retirement or a college education for their children? For many families, meeting one of these goals is a challenge, and juggling both can seem impossible. How, then, can you help your clients make the right decision or balance their priorities? The right choice, for many clients, will be clear. For the reasons I discuss below, most parents should make saving for retirement their priority. Let’s explore the financial planning issues at stake.