Meet three advocates for special needs financial planning.  They work as financial advisors, but they live as special needs family advocates. They are the wealth advisors at Burlington, Massachusetts-based Affinia Financial Group – John Nadworny CFP®, CTFA, Cynthia (Cindy) Haddad, CFP®, and Alexandria Nadworny (CFP®, CTFA). Recently interviewed by Advisors Magazine, the multi-generational team expressed that providing a full life for an individual with special needs is paramount. A financial plan – the money part – only goes so far.

Entrepreneurs in industries around the world are being challenged to adapt to new realities, and financial advisors are no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a global economic meltdown that continues to disrupt recent patterns of financial markets and long-standing business operations.

According to a recent Goldman Sachs survey of 1,500+ small business owners, only 51 percent expected their companies would be able to continue operating for more than three months.

The financial industry has been going through a Renaissance since the technology revolution, just as the world has.

The problem is we are confusing gathering and processing information with wisdom.

Easy access to information provided by the internet has advanced our society; there is no doubt. The internet can quickly answer the "what to do" and "how to do it" questions. The dark side of this easy access is it encourages us to oversimplify- assuming we know everything and everyone by what we find on the internet.

The coronavirus pandemic that abruptly closed offices and forced millions of employees to begin working remotely from home has also exposed these workers and their employers to new security threats from increased global cyberattacks.

“Unfortunately, COVID-19 has highlighted a lot of existing cybersecurity vulnerabilities for private business and government,” cybersecurity and privacy expert Leeza Garber said in an interview with Advisors Magazine. “Many companies were not ready to send their employees to work from their home environment,” added Garber, a lawyer, keynote speaker, and frequent on-air analyst for Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

Financial literacy shortcomings that have plagued Americans for decades are presenting even greater challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic slowdown.

Double-digit unemployment and economic disruption are forcing millions of families to adjust their budgets for reduced incomes and an uncertain future. Only 30 percent of U.S. households have a long-term financial plan, according to a recent Gallup poll, although 24 percent do use professional financial planners.

Specialized Approach for Settlements

More and more, financial planning is valued as a means to reach equitable settlements for couples who are divorcing. Enter the niche professional designation: the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®). Since 1993, the Durham, North Carolina-based Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts’ (IDFA) website notes that it has certified more than 5,000 CDFAs in the United States and Canada.

New questions during a pandemic

Turbulent economic times created by COVID-19 – the 2020 global pandemic that is pushing long-running bull markets into bear territory – puts client communication at the top of the “must do” list for financial advisors.

During a sudden downturn in the economy – especially when investors were sucker punched after enjoying record-breaking stock market gains –