Articles
September 01, 2010
You Know How To Hire - But Do You Know How To Fire?
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Here are a few things to think about when you’re getting ready to fire an employee who just isn’t working out:September 01, 2010
Got Kids? Get an Estate Plan
- By Alexis Martin Neely
If you still don’t think you need an estate plan, here are a few things to think about:October 01, 2010
Small Business Year End Tax Tips
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Here are a few things to think about that could have a big payoff to help you minimize your tax liability this yearOctober 01, 2010
Ten Commandments of Financial Management When Money Is Tight
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Money problems can drive you crazy on a good day… But when you’re trying to run a small business and the country’s economy takes the kind of hit ours has in the last couple of years, problems with your finances can take you and your business under in the blink of an eye. Here are a few tips to help you manage the financial side of your business when money is tight:October 01, 2010
Controlling Employee Computer Usage Without Being The "Thought Police"
- By Alexis Martin Neely
You need a written policy so everyone understands exactly how company provided Internet and email are to be used. Here are a few things to consider when developing your policy:October 01, 2010
"Intangible" Estate Planning - Thinking Beyond the Paperwork
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Here are a few words we challenge you to think about when you sit down to plan your “intangible” estate:October 01, 2010
Legal Guardianship – It’s Not Just For Kids
- By Alexis Martin Neely
As the body ages, the mind also loses its ability to function clearly. For that reason, laws have been established to allow incapacitated people to have guardians appointed to help them with making decisions and taking care of their affairs.October 01, 2010
What You Need to Know About Probate
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Think of it as being similar to the process for buying a home. If very specific steps aren’t taken, you don’t legally own the property. The same goes for your assets upon your death. However, there are certain types of property that don’t have to go through the probate process to transfer title. They are:October 01, 2010
Top Ten Things to Think About When Choosing A Guardian for Your Children
- By Alexis Martin Neely
To help you arrive at the right decision when choosing a guardian, we’ve compiled a Top Ten List of things you should consider:November 01, 2010
Important Legal Tips For Every Small Business
- By Alexis Martin Neely
With the head in the clouds dreaming, it’s easy to forget some simple legal steps you can take to get your business off to a good start and provide a firm foundation for the business as it grows. When you’re starting your business, keep these five tips in mindNovember 01, 2010
Documents Your Small Business Can't Afford To Be Without
- By Alexis Martin Neely
If you’re a solo shop with no employees, there are very few legal documents you really need aside from insurance, financial and tax paperwork… But if you have employees, even if they’re family, there are a few documents and policies that you really can’t afford to be without. Just for your own protection.November 01, 2010
Handling Tough Money Talks With Your Staff
- By Alexis Martin Neely
The end of the year is a good time to start planning for the all important performance (and salary) reviews of your staff for the coming year. Planning your annual budget means looking at possibly rewarding performance from outstanding employees.November 01, 2010
Six Things You Won’t Want to Admit In Court
- By Alexis Martin Neely
One of the best ways to learn to handle employment issues is to imagine yourself (or have your managers imagine) how their actions would look if they had to testify about them in court.November 01, 2010
What You Need To Know About the New Small Business Law
- By Alexis Martin Neely
The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act makes changes to a number of policies specifically affecting small business procurement:November 01, 2010
Making Estate Planning Conversations A Family Affair
- By Alexis Martin Neely
If you’re forward thinking enough to design an estate plan when your children are young, your primary concern is protecting them if something happens to you. When your kids are teenagers, you still want to protect them but you have a little more to think about – their personalities, whether or not you want to choose a guardian that lives close enough to allow them to remain in their school and with their friends, how to plan for higher education with less time for investment accounts to mature, etc.November 01, 2010
Protecting Your Child's Identity
- By Alexis Martin Neely
To keep your child from becoming a victim of identity theft, keep these tips in mind:July 02, 2010
The Entrepreneur and Their Personal Legal Advisor - It's Not Just About Lawsuits Anymore
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Starting and running your own business requires you to be something of a gambler. Regardless of how much you plan, nothing is certain except that at least some of the million and one things you think can go wrong, will.July 01, 2010
Gifting to Nieces and Nephews - What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You (and Them)
- By Alexis Martin Neely
To make sure your wishes are carried out exactly as you intended, take these steps now to protect those 529 college education savings plans:January 11, 2009
How Do I Choose the Right Guardian for My Children?
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Choosing a person or family to care for your children is difficult. In fact, for many families, it's the hardest part of planning their estate. It's not easy to think of anyone else, no matter how loving, raising your child. Yet, you can make a tremendous difference in your child's life by planning ahead. And you have nothing to lose except a few moments thinking about what you value most in life, and in childrearing. You can ensure you have chosen the right guardian, by following three straight forward steps:January 11, 2008
Warning! Your Parents' Estate Plan May
- By Alexis Martin Neely
The typical “estate planning” experience is one in which people go in and meet with an attorney, sign some documents, put them on a shelf or in a drawer, and never look at them again.January 11, 2008
New Year's Resolution
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Q: My New Year's Resolution this year is to finally do whatever I need to so that my children would be taken care of and protected in the event of my death or disability. How do I begin and what should I do? - Concerned Mother of ThreeJanuary 11, 2008
Have Your Parents Planned For Your Protection?
- By Alexis Martin Neely
3 Mistakes Your Parents' Estate Might Make That Could Put Your Inheritance at Risk and Leave You With an Enormously Complicated and Stressful Problem.January 11, 2008
3 Secrets Loving Parents Need to Know
- By Alexis Martin Neely
3 Secrets Loving Parents Know to Ensure Their Children Are Raised With Their Values and Love Even if They Can't Be There As a parent, the last thing I want if something happens to me is for my children to be put into a situation in which they feel scared, are surrounded by people they don't know and don't know just how much love I have for them. With these 3 Secrets you can guarantee your children will always have the security of knowing just how much you love them – even if you can't tell them.January 11, 2008
Keep the Government and Lawsuit Happy Opportunists Away From Your Children's Inheritance
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Redondo Beach, CA -- I'll bet your current estate plan leaves your assets to your children outright and unprotected by the time they are 35. If that's the case, you've overlooked an incredibly valuable gift you can give your children (and the rest of your descendants for generations); a gift that only you can give them. And a gift that once you've died and left them their inheritance outright, is wasted and cannot be reclaimed.January 11, 2008
Estate Planning? But I'm only 35! Secrets of the Old Rich Guys Revealed
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Unless you were born into an Über-rich family (and sometimes even then), your parents' probably never discussed estate planning when you were growing up and didn't have any kind of relationship with a personal lawyer (at least not one you remember discussed with fondness!)January 11, 2008
Show the Universe You Mean Business With These Professional Relationships
- By Alexis Martin Neely
When you are getting ready to start your business, it is an exciting time full of creativity and passion and often not a whole lot of money. So you've got to allocate your resources as efficiently as possible. What I'm going to share with you in this article will help you allocate resources where most business owners don't and it's a big part of the reason they fail. While tax, legal and money matters aren't always fun, they are the foundation of your success.January 11, 2008
Estate Planning FAQs
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Q: Wills vs. Trust. . . why do you say we need both? Alexis says: A Will is a legal document that tells a Court how you want your assets to be distributed after your death. If you have over a certain amount of assets (varies by State), it requires the Executor to go into Court and get an order from the Court to distribute your assets using a process called Probate. ...January 10, 2011
After Death, Protecting Your 'Digital Afterlife'
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Chances are good that you have hundreds, maybe thousands of e-mails stored on remote servers or in your computer. You might have a Facebook page, or a Tumblr or Twitter account. And you might have countless photos in a Flickr album. All that information amounts to a digital profile of sorts, which raises an interesting question: What happens to that online material when we die?January 10, 2011
After Death, Protecting Your 'Digital Afterlife'
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Chances are good that you have hundreds, maybe thousands of e-mails stored on remote servers or in your computer. You might have a Facebook page, or a Tumblr or Twitter account. And you might have countless photos in a Flickr album. All that information amounts to a digital profile of sorts, which raises an interesting question: What happens to that online material when we die?December 29, 2010
When The Unthinkable Happens...
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Once the immediate situation has passed, your children could then be at the mercy of the "system". There is no way the State can know who would be the best choice as a guardian for your children. So... what do you need to do?December 01, 2010
Holiday Parties Without the Lawsuit “Chaser”
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Before you go overboard and really let your employees blow off some steam, remember a little thing called liability. You could ultimately be held responsible for not only what happens at the company party but what happens on the way home. “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas™” does not apply.December 01, 2010
Handling The Tax That Won’t Die, Even If You Do
- By Alexis Martin Neely
With all the talk about the future of the Bush tax cuts, one aspect of taxation that isn’t getting quite as much press is the reappearance of the estate tax. As of January 1, 2011, the estate tax will once again rear its ugly head and take a serious bite out of your estate when it does.December 01, 2010
Should Your Children Have Life Insurance?
- By Alexis Martin Neely
When deciding whether or not to buy life insurance for your children, here are a few things to consider:December 01, 2010
The Straight Scoop on the New Tax Law and Your Estate Plan
- By Alexis Martin Neely
Here's the straight scoop on how the new tax law affects your estate plan: