While it’s only October or November when you are reading this, now is the time to plan to reduce your tax bill for 2017. By December, it’ll likely be too late. And by the time January comes around, you will have likely missed out on your best tax saving opportunities. So, how can you best…
The daily grind can be a real challenge. It can be difficult to stay motivated at work and focused on the right things, particularly when financial times are hard or deadlines are compressed and the pull of social media can be so strong. Taking a step back and reorienting yourself regularly can help increase your…
When all is ideal in a family, the bond between grandparent and child is a special one. Maybe you’ve even heard that grandparenting is the grand reward for parenting. But what happens when the grandparent becomes the parent? Or when parents’ divorce or one parent dies and a grandparents’ visitation rights are taken away? This…
This is your letter of permission to go ahead and simply love your children. Put down those expectations that are ingrained in someone else’s idea of what it means to be successful in the world and stare a few moments longer into the precious eyes of the child who stands before you.Instead of asking how…
As a business owner, you’ve taken on a big responsibility to your family, your clients/customers, your team and your partners. Most businesses are not sufficiently liquid to keep the company going and the owner’s family thriving, in the event of death. But with the right plan in place, you can ensure the people you care…
Are you the unappreciated black sheep in your family? Have you wished you could redeem your reputation and at the same time shift your own perception of yourself? Consider taking on the role of family caregiver for an elderly parent, a niece or nephew, or even having a baby of your own. One AARP commentator…
Marketing your small business can be difficult. Depending on your product or service, any particular strategy may or may not be the best fit for you. So how do you know where to begin? Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. Online resources such as Entrepreneur provide quick ways for you to assess your…
If you’re like me, you want to leave an inheritance for your children. It’s likely part of what you are working so hard to do. But, far too often, the way we leave those inheritances actually does more harm than good. Something no parent wants. Giving outright ownership of our assets to the kids could…
One of the most popular reasons why families contact me for estate planning is that they have small children at home. Often, the conversations go like this: “We just had a baby, do you do trusts? I think that’s what I need, right?” “I wrote my will and left everything to my husband and kids. That’s all…
“Probate is a lawsuit you file against yourself, using your own money, for the sole benefit of your creditors.” You may have heard of probate. But for those who have been through it, the very mention of the word usually brings up a string of nightmares all rolled into one. Probate is the name given…
For those of you interested in creating a trust, you may have been told that one of the most important things to do after creating your trust is to fund it properly. If you don’t, it’s like having an empty box. The term “funding a trust” refers to the process by which you change all…
A will is just one tool in the tool-belt of an estate planning attorney. Like any tool, it works great for the right purpose. But if you apply the tool in the wrong way, it won’t help very much – and sometimes it might even ruin what you’re trying to build. The same is true…
‘Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them.’ I recently came across some rare photographs of my grandfathers. They are special because my grandparents didn’t have many photographs taken of them, except for just a remaining few. You can tell a lot about a man from his clothes. But even moreso in these pictures. My…
Business Opportunities in the Caregiving Market A recent report from AARP, an organization focused on improving the quality of life of older people (who seem to be getting younger and younger all the time), shows ample business opportunity in the marketplace for caregivers. Already, there is a deficit in the number of caregivers, when compared…
What Increasing Healthcare Costs Mean for Small Businesses The good news about healthcare costs in the United States is that they have decreased from 6-7% per year to just around 4%. The bad news is that healthcare costs continue to rise faster than workers’ incomes. This increase in healthcare costs is a recipe for disaster…
Clean Burials: New Mushroom Suit Removes Body Toxins If you have ever wondered about the impact your body will have on the environment when you are gone, you are not alone. Traditional burial and cremation both present significant environmental challenges. When traditional burial is used, embalming fluid—typically a formaldehyde cocktail—is injected into the body to…
Minimizing the Risk of Employee Departure You’ve worked hard to build your business. You’ve developed products or services and the processes, policies, and strategies which drive them. So what do you do when a key employee tells you he/she will be leaving? How do you protect the business systems you’ve worked so hard to develop?…
Women Entrepreneurs Continue to Grapple with Gender Disparity in Business Capital Accessibility The small business sector is a major force in the American economy, responsible for two-thirds of jobs in the private sector. But despite significant progress, female business owners continue to suffer from a gender gap in factors that influence small business financing. Specifically,…
Consider a shareholder for any type of business If you are considering going into any type of business with others and are looking for some protection and peace of mind about your future relationships and protecting your assets with them, you should consider a shareholders’ agreement. What is a shareholder’s agreement? A shareholders’ agreement is…
Small Business Challenges and Operational Strategies As with so many things in life, some of the same qualities that help small businesses succeed, can also lead to their demise. Fortunately, many small business challenges can be lessened through operational excellence. For example, the owners and managers of small businesses often know each other before they…
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