Kevin Kautzmann at the closing bell of the NYSE...

Men’s plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures have grown 325% over the past 20 years. Here’s how the financial industry is making money on the surge. See video »..

New York City’s largest health plan delivered a blow to insurance brokers when it became the latest to cut commissions. Empire BlueCross BlueShield will no longer pay brokers to sign members for its individual plans after April 1, it said Tuesday in an email sent to insurance agents. Brokers who signed members for plans before April ..

Quick. How much are you paying every month just to have a checking account? And for ATM Fees? If you’re not sure, it’s time to find out. Checking account fees have soared over the past year as banks try to boost profits. Depending on your situation, it may be time to jump to another bank. ..

The Sibling Sinkhole How showing a little brotherly love can be an expensive proposition When Greig Detering left behind his comfortable life as a telecom engineer and set out to do missionary work abroad, he had a powerful calling — but not a lot of financial firepower. While he owned a home in Phoenix, he ..

Practice Management: The Client Who Escaped Crippling Debt By Alex Coppola –A client is buried by debt and a poorly managed portfolio A DOW JONES NEWSWIRES COLUMN –Adviser helps readjust every facet of his finances –There are no silver bullets when it comes to helping sinking clients Kevin Kautzmann’s client wasn’t just struggling when he ..

By Harper Willis  — Two pension payout options each have a drawback — Life insurance improves options — Guaranteed universal life has scant risk of lapsing The client, 68, was mere months away from retirement but couldn’t figure out which of two pension payout options to choose. When Kevin Kautzmann, president of fee-based EBNY Financial ..

Ask Mary Adams if she was stricken with “empty nest” feelings after her two sons moved out and she shrugs off the question. After all, the Northern California native says, her boys never strayed far from home after high school, and both worked at one time or another for the family’s thriving pool-maintenance business. But ..

Aside from the occasional GEICO or Progressive commercial, there isn’t much about insurance people tend to like. Most see insurance as a necessary evil – the purchase of a critical product and service one hopes to never use. Others will gamble on the amount or types of coverage they carry, but failure to carry certain ..