Insights

February 4, 2025

The Value-Add of an Advisor

In Financial Planning, Wealth Strategy

How does an advisor add value for the fees that you pay? The value that a financial advisor brings to the table can extend far beyond the quantifiable. Coldstream’s work to integrate financial planning and investment management is multi-faceted and often reaches into many areas of our clients’ lives. In this brief, we examine recent research on the value-add of advisory relationships, as well as sharing some of our own insight and experience on the topic.

Read the full brief below.

Related Articles

October 3, 2025

Caring for Aging Parents

For the past two years, I’ve been the primary caregiver for my 94-year-old mom.  The experience has been both challenging and—unexpectedly—rewarding. Everyone’s journey looks different, but there are common threads. Caring for aging parents requires planning, flexibility, compassion, and a strong support system. Here are a few lessons that I’ve learned that may help guide [...]

Contributions from: Becky Wilcox, CFA®, MBA, FRM®

September 29, 2025

End-of-Life Planning: An overview of the documents you need

Summary points: This article outlines and describes some of the most important legal documents you’ll need to include as part of your end-of-life planning, including: Your last will and/or living trust determine how assets are passed on after your death; a living trust may also determine how assets are used and distributed if you are [...]

Contributions from: Jillian Perkins, Daniel Hill, CFP®, MBA

September 22, 2025

The End of Paper Checks for Federal Payments: What Coldstream Clients Need to Know

Beginning September 30, 2025, the U.S. Treasury will no longer issue or accept paper checks for most federal payments. This change affects how Social Security benefits, tax refunds, trust and estate payments, and other government disbursements are delivered. All payments will transition to Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), such as direct deposit into a bank account or a U.S. Treasury–issued [...]