The Uncertain Future of the Estate Tax Law
The question on every estate planning attorney’s mind (and on the minds of our clients) is what will happen to the estate tax next year? There is less than a week left before the estate tax expires, and I have lost hope that our representatives in Washington will actually reach a resolution before the […]
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In This Season of Thanksgiving…
I saw the first snow of the season on the mountain yesterday. The winter days are getting shorter, the weather cooler, and few of the skeletal arms of trees reach for the skies as their colorful apparel rests on the ground. All of these signs point to just one thing… No, not the estate tax […]
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Alzheimer’s Disease Can Take Your Memory AND Your Financial Security
Alzheimer’s disease affects as many as 5.3 million people in the United States; which means it affects as many as 5.3 million families, because Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects everybody it touches—husbands, wives, children and grandchildren—they all bear witness to their loved one’s slow demise. Sadly, emotional stress is not the only stress that […]
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Taking Care of the Details After the Death of a Loved One
Sadly, a few of our clients have recently passed away. “The death of a loved one imposes cruel demands on the closest survivors.” The truth of that statement from this article in moneywatch.com is known to anybody who has lost a close friend or family member. We’ve written a lot on our blog about going […]
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Finances Are A Family Affair
We’ve all been learning a lot more lately about economics and investment practices than we ever thought we would… but do these lessons from the global economy transfer to the family circle? Studies have shown that most families have one person who takes care of all the finances: paying the bills, setting aside money for […]
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“Second Childishness and Mere Oblivion”
Shakespeare wrote about the seven ages of man, in which he describes the human journey from helpless child to adult and back to helpless child again: “…Infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, and second childhood, ‘sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything’”. Anyone who has had to watch as their parents age knows how […]
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Presidential Wills in Our Nation’s History; a Fourth of July Tribute
On the Fourth of July we look to our nation’s history and appreciate the people and events of the past that have brought us to where we are today. In that spirit of reflection, we offer on our blog this holiday weekend some of our nation’s history as relates to estate planning: the last wills […]
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A Book You Won’t Want to Miss…
I am pleased to share with you that I am one of the featured authors in a new book published by the Wealth Builders Press, entitled Estate Planning Strategies, Collective Wisdom and Proven Techniques. This book is informative and accessible, and has been described by one reviewer as “an invaluable resource and ‘must-have’ for both […]
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Congress to the Rescue!
With the US housing market continuing to struggle, Congress passed a comprehensive bill designed to curb foreclosures and to extend additional credit to two of the nation’s leading mortgage lenders. On July 30, President Bush signed the measure into law. Some of the key provisions of the bill include the following: – $300 billion in […]
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Redefining the “To Do” List
If you’re like me, you probably have “To Do” lists filled with tasks like ‘pay the bills’ or ‘wash the car’, but how many of those lists evoke a feeling of heavy obligation rather than pleasant anticipation? If you were to take your list of “Things to Do” and add onto the end of it […]
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