Real estate is often the biggest investment that people make, whether it be in the form of a family home, cottages, investment properties or investments in the real-estate sector. The BNN Bloomberg Advisor panel discusses several topics including how real estate fits into a financial plan, taxation, helping adult children buy their first home, and speaking with clients about the value of real estate — especially in cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where prices have risen dramatically.

The BNN Bloomberg Advisor panel discusses ways advisors can help clients reduce their overall tax bill, which often happens well before T4 slips come out and tax returns are filed. The panel discusses the importance of a financial plan, TFSAs, RRSPs and corporate-class mutual funds.

Helping clients save for retirement is one of the most important aspects of an advisor's job. The BNN Bloomberg Advisor panel discusses the importance of both the Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) and the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). The panel also discusses the tax implications of each savings vehicle.

There are two things for certain in life: death, and taxes. When it comes to a financial plan, insurance can help with both inevitable issues, but it can be an extremely difficult topic to discuss with clients. The BNN Bloomberg Advisor panel members discuss how insurance — which includes life insurance, disability insurance and long-term care insurance — can help mitigate the risks to financial plans and how to best prepare for those risks.

Keeping and attracting the best clients is the life blood of most successful advisors. The BNN Bloomberg panel members explain the type of clients they try to attract, how they build trust over time with their existing clients and the reasons clients become unhappy with services, which may include a lack of contact, a lack of good ideas, fees for service versus performance and aversion to losses.

The BNN Bloomberg Advisor panel breaks down the basics of estate planning and how to make sure your hard-earned money isn’t eaten away in taxes and fees and is instead passed on to family, friends and even charities. The panel explains the basics of getting a plan together, the importance of having a will, the basics of probate, the possibility (and pitfalls) of owning homes jointly and how to minimize taxes (as estates are often taxed at the highest marginal tax rate).

A divorce can take a financial as well as an emotional toll on clients. The panel discusses ways to help clients understand what they’ll need, including documents to determine both child and spousal support, insurance policies and benefits.

Kelley Keehn, consumer advocate at the Financial Planning Standards Council, joins BNN Bloomberg’s Catherine Murray for a look at some statistics about women and their investment knowledge, and what's holding them back from being fully invested in the markets.

In this segment, the BNN Bloomberg Advisor panel tackles several issues facing millennial investors. They discuss accelerated savings plans, setting goals and pension plan basics, including why some millennials would benefit from taking on more risk in their defined contribution pension plans — one area, the panel says, where more education and financial planning is needed.