Category: Wisdoms

  • Special Needs Planning

    Statistics reveal that about 16% of children in the United States have some sort of disability. The concerns of parents of these children are the same for most any parent and that is to make sure that their children are safe, happy, and live a meaningful life. Some of these children may not be able…

  • How Much Money Do I Need?

    The “million dollar” question many of those preparing for retirement ask themselves is simply stated but not necessarily easy to answer — “how much money do I need to save to secure a comfortable retirement?” In some circles, this is referred to as “the number” — that magical figure that tells pre-retirees how prepared they may be. A recent…

  • Your Favorite Charity in Your Estate Plan

    Charitable giving can be complicated, especially when it moves beyond cash or writing a check. A recent Forbes article provides some advice you may not have considered. The article is titled “Five Ways To Be Charitable Even If You Aren’t Bill Gates.” Take heart in knowing that even if you’re not Bill Gates, the “five…

  • BBB: Volunteering: Keep Yourself Active

    For the past 50 years, May has been a month to appreciate and celebrate the vitality and aspirations of older Americans and their contributions to our communities. Many seniors are productive, active, and influential members of society, sharing essential talents, as well as passing on wisdom, and life experience with their families, friends, and neighbors.…

  • Time for a Meeting

    Many people think that when they retire they would be able to travel, or sit and read a book worry-free. Sadly, many also express that their experience during retirement is not at all that way. Some are caring for spouse’s who have dementia or other mental or physical challenges. Some are fearful that they do…

  • Caring for Aging Parents: Don’t Wing It

    As the parents of boomers age, more family members are managing eldercare responsibilities. Healthcare and finances aren’t easy topics for many families to broach. In fact, research from the Money Across Generations IISM study shows that 36 percent of boomers’ parents feel that talking about healthcare with family will likely or very likely create tension…

  • Legal: Fighting Over Assets?

    “My parents made a trust with a lawyer. Why is it not working and the trustee and beneficiaries are fighting over the assets?” Sadly, these are words I often hear from families who call me after the second parent dies to settle their parents’ estate. The Trust might have worked from the drafting attorney’s point…

  • Better Business Bureau: Tax and Scams

    This time of year, fliers, yard signs, emails and other advertisements offering tax preparation assistance and promising bigger, faster refunds are popping up everywhere. When you alone are ultimately responsible for the information on your tax returns, how do you separate the professionals from the scammers? Over the past few years seniors have become prime…

  • Financial: Home Exemptions for Seniors

    Many have told us that their Real Property Taxes seem to be going up. This may be true since our property taxes are a direct relation with the City’s value of the property. The higher the assessed value of your property, the higher your property taxes will be.. We have clients from all over the…

  • Financial: Selecting Your Financial Advisor

    Speaking from experience, the relationship between financial advisors and their clients is incredibly important. Whether you rely on your advisor to help with retirement planning, saving for college, or meeting other goals, this individual will help determine how you approach some of life’s biggest financial decisions. Here are a few things to keep in mind…

  • Legal: Review Your Estate Plan Often

    As we turn the page from 2012 to 2013, it is not a bad time to focus on your Rule Book (the set of documents in which you lay out your estate plan) and make sure that the rules you have in place are still consistent with your wishes and your needs. How often you…

  • Tax Planning & Preparation

    Our tax system for the most part remains firmly based upon the calendar year. At year-end, it’s time to take a snapshot of your income, deductions and credits. Based on that data, your tax liability for the year can be computed. If year-end strategies are implemented before your tax liability is “set in stone” it…