When most of you bought your first home, you probably signed a deed as a joint tenant next to your spouse’s signature. That’s the way your parents and grandparents did it, and the real estate agent told you it would protect the surviving spouse from probate court after one of you dies. It’s not unusual… Read More »
Posts Categorized: Asset Protection
Cover Me: Why a Durable Power of Attorney for Asset Management is a Smart Part of Your Estate Plan
In 2007, pop singer Britney Spears had a highly publicized meltdown. Caught on camera shaving her head, attacking a paparazzo with an umbrella and otherwise calling her sanity into question, Spears’s father took steps to contain his 26-year-old daughter’s erratic behavior and protect her multi-million dollar estate. While today, Jamie Spears’s actions appear to have… Read More »
Keep Clients from Becoming Squeezed As Part of the ‘Sandwich Generation’
Your clients have worked hard all their adult years, raising children and changing careers with the times, while aiming toward a great retirement. But perhaps a family elder is increasingly in need of assistance, financially and otherwise, because she’s nearly outlived her retirement nest egg. And so, your clients invited her to live with them…. Read More »
Money Managers Cut Worry for Seniors
It’s tough enough for many adults to keep track of their bills, but it can be especially hard for those in their retirement years. Failing eyesight and hearing, coupled with arthritis-stricken hands and fading memory, can make keeping track of everything a Herculean task for many seniors. That is especially true if there are no… Read More »
Client Resolutions to Encourage: Spend Less, Save More and Pay Down Debt
Ah, the New Year. For many, it’s a time to look ahead and make plans for living better in the months and years ahead. It’s also an excellent time for your clients to take a sober look at what they can do to protect their money going forward into 2013. Forty-six percent of consumers are… Read More »
The Family Vacation Home: A Place to Make Memories or Enemies?
A family vacation home—whether it’s a summer house on the beach or a winter skiing bungalow in the mountains—can be just the thing that brings a family together. Unfortunately, it can also be just the thing that tears a family apart when parents pass away and the time comes to decide what to do with… Read More »
Estate Planning for Beginners Part 6: Funding
The hard part is done. Your estate plan has been created, all the documents signed and witnessed and notarized. But wait, you’re not quite done yet—especially if your estate plan includes a trust. The task of funding that trust still remains. Without the completion of this crucial step all of your hard work could be… Read More »
Protect Your Assets Against Divorce
Life can throw some unexpected curve balls at you, catching you off guard and unprotected. A recession can drain your bank account, a surprise lawsuit can put your assets in peril, and a nasty divorce can split up more than just a family. This is why it’s so important to think about protecting your assets… Read More »
Take Advantage of New Tax Act Opportunities
In December of last year President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Chttp://presidentreation Act of 2010 (the “Act”), which encompasses far more than its name would imply. For the past few months our office has been diligently researching the many ways this act might impact our clients, and what we’ve found… Read More »
The Future of Estate Planning With the New 2011 Tax Laws
The passage last week of the bipartisan tax bill has many people breathing a huge sigh of relief. Not only is the tax uncertainty at an end, but the end result is beneficial to just about all American taxpayers, regardless of your wealth or the size of your estate. According to The Wall Street Journal,… Read More »