Posts Archive
Estate Planning
Better Living Through Giving
Part 1- Why this Blog Series? Many years back, as a young adult, my father and I were watching an NFL football game. During the halftime break, a segment aired about Gene Stallings, who was, at the time, head coach of the (then) St. Louis Cardinals (I’m dating myself; I know). The focus of the…
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Creating your “Encore” Life Part #3
Part Three of Weekly Three Part Series started 6/14/19. Part 3 – Goal Setting If you aren’t setting goals, start – now. If you are setting goals, do it the right way. Based on the Encore Wheel of Life exercises you completed in Part 2, you should have many ideas that, if accomplished, will increase…
Read More Creating your “Encore” Life Part 2
Part Two of Weekly Three Part Series started 6/14/19. Part 2 – The Encore Wheel of Life In Part 1 of this 3-part series, we looked at life’s stages, and some of the common experiences and changes people go through during each of life’s four “quarters.” This led to the idea of an “Encore Life,”…
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Tax & Estate Planning with Charitable Trusts
Written by Bruce Yates, Financial Advisor & Doug Custer, CFP® Investment assets have two primary benefits: the income they produce, and their hopefully increasing value. With Charitable Trusts, charitably inclined investors can support their chosen charity or foundation by donating one of these two components (principal or income), while retaining the other for themselves or…
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Able Accounts For Individuals With Disabilities
Written by Mary Ann Ferreira, CFP®, CDFA™, AIF® In late 2014, Congress passed the “Achieving a Better Life Experience Act” (the ABLE Act). This law makes it possible for states to establish and operate ABLE programs so that individuals with disabilities can save money for future needs, while still retaining eligibility for federal assistance programs. These…
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Why Do I Need an Estate Plan If “I Don’t Have an Estate”?
Guest article written by Sabrina Go of Rehberg Law Group Before you can answer the question of, “Why do I need an estate plan if I don’t have an estate?”, another question must be answered first, “What is an estate?”. An estate is all of the assets that you own or have a legal interest in…
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Questions to Ask When Drafting an Estate Plan
Because you’ve worked hard to create a secure and comfortable lifestyle for your family, you’ll want to ensure that you have a sound financial plan that includes trust and estate planning. With some forethought, you may be able to minimize gift and estate taxes and preserve more of your assets for those you care about.…
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Bypassing Probate
You may have heard about the horrors of probate, but in truth, probate has gotten an undeservedly bad reputation, especially in recent years. If you bypass probate, your estate will go to your beneficiaries without any court proceeding, and you may save a certain amount of time and expenses. However, there is usually little reason…
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The Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT)
Written by Doug Custer, CFP® How do you keep that vacation home in the family? How do you keep any home in the family for that matter? We frequently explore such questions with clients. One often overlooked solution is a vehicle called the Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT). A QPRT can be an especially attractive…
Read MoreDivorce and Estate Planning
How does divorce affect estate planning? Wills for both spouses are often drawn up sometime during the marriage–particularly if there are children involved. When divorce is contemplated, the selection of beneficiaries and executors will likely be revised to reflect the absence of your former spouse. Additionally, you will need to re-examine the gift and estate…
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