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Providing for Pets in Your Will or Trust
According to a recent article on BusinessInsider.com, there are some surprising new figures about American households and their pets. “In 2011, Americans spent a record $50.8 billion on pets, according to the American Pet Products Association. We share our homes with an estimated 86 million cats, 78 million dogs, 16 million birds and 160 million […]
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How to Ensure Your Valuable Antiques Don’t End Up in Someone’s Yard Sale
Have you seen Antiques Roadshow? It’s a PBS television show in which antique experts travel around the country to critique and appraise antiques brought in by local people. Quite often on the show, someone will bring in an old knick-knack they found in grandma’s attic, only to find out it’s actually worth hundreds or thousands […]
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3 Steps to Help Protect Your Family and Your Future in 2024
We all want to ensure our loved ones are protected and provided for, but sometimes the process of doing so can appear overwhelming, and prevent you from even taking the first steps. When it comes to protecting your family and your future with an estate plan, the process can actually be as easy as 1… […]
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Long Term Care Insurance Is Tax Deductible for Business Owners
By now most people, when planning for their “Golden Years”, know that they need to consider the possibility that they may need long-term care at some point in time, and that long-term care insurance is a logical option for this purpose. What most people don’t know is that if you are self-employed or own your […]
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Could A Trust Be Good For Your Family?
The answer to the title question is that just about every family can benefit from a trust. The rich and famous tend to utilize trusts because of the privacy they provide, the long-term asset protection, the tax benefits, and their flexibility; but each and every family, regardless of fame or income, can reap the exact […]
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This Holiday Season an Estate Plan is the Perfect Gift
The holiday season is upon us, and as others rush about the malls and the internet looking for gifts, we can recommend a unique, useful and memorable gift that will be perfect for any loved one: An Estate Plan! Before you roll your eyes at the idea, consider this: An estate plan is something every […]
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How to Give Help to Family without Neglecting Your Own Financial Needs
As the cost of a college education skyrockets, and the unemployment rate for new college graduates holds steady at a depressing 17 percent, more and more grandparents are feeling the pressure to help their college age grandchildren pay for college expenses, or help with student loans after graduation. While college students (and their families) could […]
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Planning for Death Can Be a Celebration of Life
October and November is the one time of the year when not only is it ok to think about death, it’s expected! So it seems like the perfect time to bring up the subject of funerals—specifically your own funeral. It has been said that funerals and memorial services are for those who are left behind […]
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Death of Steve Jobs Saddens the World
The recent death of creative visionary and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs saddened the world. News of his death traveled like wildfire, and had the online social networks humming with tributes, memorial posts, and sentiments of grief. Mr. Jobs was very private about his personal life, but through his public appearances and his support of various […]
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When “Equal” is not Always “Fair”
Every parent wants to be fair to their children; avoid showing favoritism, give each the same advantages, and eventually leaving each a fair and equal inheritance. But every parent also knows that there are times when equal is not always fair—a dilemma that is often faced by parents drawing up their will or estate plan. […]
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