Putnam adds wealth of tax info to wealth management website

Putnam Investments is adding bells, whistles and lots of new tax-related information to a website it launched for financial advisers last fall.

The firm’s “Wealth Management Center is a consolidation of Putnam’s financial planning related resources, said William Cass, senior vice president, Putnam Retail Management. He said the website is a good selling point for his wholesalers meeting with financial advisers — but is not about pushing Putnam products.

“This site is about investor education and client seminars and white papers. There’s nothing product-related on the website,” said Mr. Cass.

Well, almost nothing. There is a link at the bottom of options in the right hand margin that allows you to “Explore Putnam Funds.”

The site is particularly strong in addressing tax-related issues and implications of the tax bill passed by Congress last year. White papers, power-point presentations from client seminars and even video interviews with Putnam executives and others on “PutnamTV,” get into the nitty-gritty of the tax laws.

“There’s a lot of content on the new tax law passed in December, and also insights on what happens after the next two years,” said Mr. Cass. “We’re focused on what advisers need to do with investors to plan for higher taxes on 2013.

The current list of tax topics under the Investor Education menu included the following:

Capitalizing on tax clarity
Health-care reform and its impact on investors
Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA)
Avoiding the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
Income in respect of a decedent tax deduction
Developing a tax-smart retirement income strategy
Using investment losses to your advantage
2011 tax rates, schedules, and contribution limits
Historical tax rate chart