Divorce. An unexpected death, disability, or retirement. An irreconcilable dispute. These triggering events may put your successful, stable business into a tailspin. Luckily, a buy-sell agreement can help you and your business be better prepared to handle these events. What is a Buy-Sell Agreeme...
Benjamin Franklin famously quipped, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” From the very beginning, you had a plan for your business to succeed. You set goals and developed methods to achieve those goals. Your business has stood the test of time because you anticipated problems and sol...
This August, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced a three-part plan to help low and middle-income families deal with the increasingly burdensome cost of paying for college, while also making the student loan system more efficient and easier ...
If you have a sale of real estate or assets coming up that will result in you owing capital gains tax, you may want to give us a call to discuss whether to set up a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) first. Think of it this way: would you rather pay taxes and send your hard-earned money to the gove...
Following the death of a loved one, close family members are sometimes surprised to learn that they didn't receive the inheritance they were expecting, and that the deceased instead left most of their estate to an individual they only recently met, who wasn't even a relative. While it's not alway...
Last week, we looked at the different things having a will in place allows you to do. Here, we detail all of the things that your will does not do, along with identifying the specific estate planning tools and strategies that you should have in place to make up for the potential blind spots that ...
August is “National Make-A-Will Month,” and if you have already prepared a will, congratulations—too few Americans have taken this first step in the estate planning process. In fact, only 33% of Americans have created a will, according to Caring.com's 2022 Wills and Estate Planning Study. Yet, wh...
If you have started to save for your child or grandchild's college education, it's worth considering whether to use a 529 plan, an education savings account, or an irrevocable trust. Last week, in part one of this series, we discussed 529 plans and education savings accounts, which are both popul...
If you have started to save for your child or grandchild's college education, it's worth considering whether to use a 529 plan, an education savings account, or an Irrevocable Trust. Here's what we think you should consider as you decide: First, consider whether you want your offspring to h...
You might think that only the super wealthy need to worry about asset protection planning. But the truth is that if you don't have millions, you may be at even greater risk. For instance, if you are a multi-millionaire, a $50,000 judgment against you might not be that big of a deal. But for a fam...
Despite the fact that it happens to every single one of us and is as every bit as natural as birth, very few among us are properly prepared for death—whether our own death or the death of a loved one. Yet the pandemic might be changing this. According to Census figures, the pandemic caused ...
Despite the fact that it happens to every single one of us and is every bit as natural as birth, very few among us are properly prepared for death—whether our own death or the death of a loved one. Yet the pandemic might be changing this. According to Census figures, the pandemic caused the...
With divorce occurring in roughly 50% of all marriages in the U.S. and life expectancy increasing every day, second—and even third—marriages are becoming quite common. And when people get remarried in mid-life and beyond, they often bring children from prior marriages into the mix. Such unions ar...
If you're looking to collect life insurance proceeds as the policy's beneficiary, the process is fairly simple. However, during the emotional period immediately following a loved one's death, it can feel as if your entire world is falling apart, so it's helpful to understand exactly what steps yo...
These days, more and more young people are delaying—if not totally foregoing—a life that involves marriage and parenting. The lack of jobs, crushing student debt, multiple recessions, and the pandemic have pushed many young people into a life path that leaves little room for settling down with a ...
If a family member or friend has asked you to serve as trustee for their trust either during their life, or upon their death, it's a big honor—this means they consider you among the most honest, reliable, and responsible people they know.That said, serving as a trustee is not only a great honor, ...
When creating an estate plan, people are often most concerned with passing on the “big things” like real estate, bank accounts, and vehicles. Yet these possessions very often aren't the items that have the most meaning for the loved ones we leave behind. Smaller items, like family heirlooms and k...
As we head into summer, many parents will see their children graduate high school and prepare to leave home to attend college or pursue other life goals. This can be an exciting and emotional time, and with so much going on, estate planning probably isn't at the front of your (or their) mind righ...
The road to retirement is a long one, and as with any journey, it helps to have a few key milestones along the way to help gauge your progress. While your individual retirement plan and goals will be unique to your income, family situation, and desired lifestyle, most Americans share a number of ...
Because estate planning involves actively thinking about and planning for frightening topics like death, old age, and crippling disability, many people put it off or simply ignore it all together until it's too late. Sadly, this unwillingness to face reality often creates serious hardship, expens...
Because estate planning involves actively thinking about and planning for frightening topics like death, old age, and crippling disability, many people put it off or simply ignore it all together until it's too late. Sadly, this unwillingness to face reality often creates serious hardship, expens...
When you think about loved ones who've passed away, you probably don't think very much—or even at all—about the “things” they've left you. And when they do leave something behind, what you likely cherish most about the object are the memories and feelings the item evokes, not the thing itself. ...
Whether it's to qualify for Medicaid, avoid probate, or reduce your tax burden, transferring ownership of your home to your adult child during your lifetime may seem like a smart move. But in nearly all cases, it's actually a huge mistake, which can lead to dire consequences for everyone involved...
If you are a mom or dad with minor children at home, your number-one estate planning priority should be selecting and legally documenting both long and short-term guardians for your kids. Guardians are the people legally named to care for your children in the event something happens to you. And i...