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What the National Debt Ceiling Extension Means for Your Family

You’ve probably heard about the national debt ceiling and its recent extension, but you might wonder what...

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Latest Articles

There is no shortage of advice flying around about estate planning, much of it from people who aren't even lawyers. Get insight on the popular pitfalls and how emerging economic shifts like cryptocurrency can affect your plan.

Conscious Money Challenge: Know How You Are Invested

If you have money invested in the stock market, whether through a retirement account or a straight broker...

Writing Your Life Story: Why

How often do you wish you knew more about your family? When we’re young, we don’t necessarily pay attenti...

Life Is Multifaceted: Teach a Child to Be Open and Embrace Complexities

When you picture a “normal” family, what do you see? Is it the traditional notion of one male parent and ...

Five Valuable Traits a Child Can Learn from Working Parents

Those of us who work sometimes feel that we are doing our children a disservice. Sure, we bring home a pa...

Are You Leaving Your Retirement Account at Risk Due to Poor Planning?

You’ve spent your entire life building up your retirement account. It may even be the biggest asset you’l...

How To Proactively Plan To Reduce the Impact of Caring For Elderly Family Members

Much has been written about our nation’s need to help mothers in the workplace. Many benefits, such as ma...

What to Do With a Cash Windfall

Many of us like to fantasize about winning the lottery. We muse with our friends about how we might spend...

Got a Job? Here’s How You Can Save Money You Might Be Losing Right Now

Did you know there are many steps that you can take to save money via your employment? Some of these stra...

Should I Pay Off My Mortgage Now or Save More Money?

To many people, living debt-free is a lifelong dream. It’s the picture of the easy life. Retired with no ...

Can I Benefit from a Reverse Mortgage?

It seems that we can’t turn on the television or radio without hearing an ad for a “reverse mortgage.” So...

Family Financial Traditions

To some degree or another, we are all a function of the social environments in which we were raised. Of c...

Holiday Bonus + Tax Refund Spending: Where to Put it For Max Return

Did you get a holiday bonus from your employer? Or maybe you have a tax refund coming. If so, do you have...

Watch Out for Predatory Tax Liens on Your Family Home

As our parents and other loved ones age, they may need a little more attention from us. Parents, grandpar...

Planning for Charitable Giving

January 1 wipes the slate clean for your tax deductible charitable contributions. That might be a good ti...

Retirement Planning Reality Check

The National Institute on Retirement Security states that the funds American workers have set aside for r...

Am I Due Class Action Settlement Money?

Class action lawsuits are common in our court systems. Most everyone has received a notice in the mail of...

Mark Zuckerberg Did Not Pledge 99% of His Facebook Stock to Charity — Here’s What He Did Instead + What He Could Do Even Better

When I heard that Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, were donating 99 percent of their Fac...

How to Raise Responsible Kids - Part 4 | PFL®

Welcome back to the fourth and final article in our series on How to Raise Responsible Kids. You can read...

How to Raise Responsible Kids - Part 2 | PFL®

Welcome back to the second article in our series on How to Raise Responsible Kids. You can read part 1, w...

How to Pass On Family Heirlooms Without Causing a Family Feud

The holidays are traditionally the time for family gatherings, where generations come together and perfor...

How To Leave Your Home To Your Kids

Many parents want to know the best way to leave a home to their children. Before you make a plan, you sho...

Landmark Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage Will Have Monumental Effects

In June, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, a highly publicized...

What Is a Trust?

A trust is a legal creation set up to benefit someone or something. For example, some people set up trust...

Estate Planning for Blended Families

The term “blended family” has become commonplace in our society and refers to a family where one or both ...

Estate Planning with Gifts to Grandchildren

If you are in your “golden years” and are looking for ways to spread your wealth, you should consider the...

Protecting Your Child with a Special Needs Trust

When you have a family member with special needs, it is important to understand that your estate planning...

How to Protect Family Heirlooms From a Family Feud

The passing of family heirlooms from one generation to another should be welcome tradition in most famili...

How to Benefit from an Estate Plan When You Own Real Estate

Many parents believe that by adding a child’s name to a property deed, they can pass along the property o...

Legacy Planning: Leaving More to Your Loved Ones Than Money That Will Be Lost Quickly

The assets you leave to your loved ones can either be a source of relief or, sometimes, a source of panic...

5 Steps to Fix Your Battered Retirement Plan

It’s no secret that a majority of Americans are ill-prepared for retirement. A recent Forbes.com post det...

Why Equal Inheritance Isn't Always the Best for Your Estate Plan | PFL®

It is natural for parents to want to treat their children equally when it comes to inheritances. However,...

Estate Planning for Your Digital Afterlife

If you’re like most Americans, you have a rich digital life. You may bank online, invest online and certa...

Is Your Living Trust Really Going to Work For the People You Love?

Traditionally, one of the primary reasons for establishing a living trust has been to avoid probate. But ...

How You Can Avoid Being Taken Advantage of Once You Become Elderly

A 2010 study conducted by the Investor Protection Trust found that more than seven million older American...

How to Tell If It’s Time to Change Your Will

Current research shows that only about half of Americans have a will, and probably less than that have ch...

5 Things You Need to Know Before You Name Beneficiaries | PFL®

Once you have chosen the people you want to receive any of your assets -- either from a will, a trust, a ...

What Families Need to Know About Debt After Death

The poverty rate among seniors is rising, giving rise to the question of whether or not it is possible to...

Debunking 4 Common Myths About Gift Taxes

April 15 is not only the deadline for filing your state and federal income tax returns, but also the dead...

Family Loans Must Be Made Properly to Avoid Tax Repercussions

The recession made many parents and grandparents into personal bankers, making loans to strapped children...

A Duty Checklist for Trustees of a Trust | PFL®

It’s no misnomer that a position with so much responsibility carries the name “trustee”. After all, you h...

How Long-Term Care Planning Can Protect You From Medicaid Divorce

Currently, it is estimated that 7 in 10 Americans will need some type of long-term care, with Medicaid ex...

The Pros and Cons of Prenuptial Agreements

Americans today are getting married later in life. Currently, the average age of a first marriage is 27 f...

What Women Need to Know About Estate Planning

Women outlive men, make less during their careers and have less in savings due to pay discrepancies and t...

Protecting Our Family When It Matters Most

A drama currently playing out in a French courtroom demonstrates that any elderly person can fall victim ...

Help for Dealing with a Parent’s Dementia Diagnosis

Alzheimer’s Disease is in the news again thanks to Academy Award winner Julianne Moore’s performance in t...

Reasons to Establish a Trust (and Being Rich Isn’t One of Them)

When you hear the words, “trust fund,” do you conjure up images of stately mansions and party yachts? A t...

Joan Rivers Has Last Laugh Through Use of a Family Trust

Famous comedienne, Joan Rivers, who died unexpectedly on September 4, 2014, from what is alleged to be a ...

‘Tis the Season to Be Gifting: How to Do It Right

Not many people would view the IRS as a charitable organization, but you might if you plan your gifting a...

Special Needs Trust: Protection for Those Who Need It the Most

Families of those with disabilities - physical or mental - are typically concerned with the best way to f...

How to Reduce the Cost of Long-Term Care Insurance | PFL®

A person who turns 65 today has a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care at some time in their...

The Final Log-Off: What Happens to Your Data When You Die?

Take a moment and consider how much of your life you live online. If you are like most of us, you bank, p...

Leave an Inheritance for Future Generations with a Trusteed IRA

According to the Investment Company Institute, the use of IRAs for retirement saving has increased in the...

Supreme Court Decision Makes Inherited IRAs Fair Game in Bankruptcy

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has changed the way inherited IRAs are viewed when it comes to bankr...

How to Create a Lifetime of Care for a Special Needs Child

Parents of children with special needs usually share one overriding concern: what will happen to my child...

7 Things To Think About Before Making Gifts to Grandchildren

If you have grandchildren - or are getting ready to welcome one like political power couple Bill and Hill...

The 4 Key Life Skills Your Children Need to Have Before They Inherit

Inherited wealth need not be “an albatross around the neck of the children” as Sting so succinctly put it...

How to Prepare Your Heirs to Receive, Protect and Grow Their Inheritance

When we think of vast family wealth, most of us know the name Cornelius Vanderbilt, the railroad and ship...

Financial Self-Protection Tips for the Newly Single

Whether you have a lost a spouse or partner through divorce or death, being thrust into singlehood can be...

Why Inheriting in Trust is a Must

You bring your children into the world with love. You raise them with love. If you’re going all the way a...

If You Don’t Trust Your Kids with Money, You Need a Trust

While most parents have the best intentions when it comes to teaching their children about handling finan...

Before You Take Off for Summer Vacation, Take On These 5 To-Dos

It’s no surprise that Americans spend more time planning their summer vacations than they do planning the...

A Plan for Protecting Your Most Valuable Asset: Your Children

If you have young children, chances are that your summer activities include some careful planning to keep...

Will the Inheritance You Leave Be a Blessing or an Albatross?

Rock musician Sting recently announced that his children will not inherit his estimated $300 million fort...

How Real Men Celebrate Father’s Day

Do you know what it takes to be a real man? Although the expectations of both men and women have evolved ...

Greatest Wealth Transfer in History Underway – What’s Your Plan?

A new study from the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy shows that the greatest wealth tran...

How to Balance Family Memories with Future Plans for a Vacation Home

Summer has officially arrived and for those of us fortunate enough to have a vacation home – whether it’s...

Unconditional Love Doesn’t Have to Mean Unconditional Inheritance

Most parents love their children unconditionally and want to do whatever they can to smooth life’s rough ...

The Wealth Creation Trust: A Gift That Keeps On Giving

The perfect gift for your child or grandchild on the occasion of their birth, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Sweet 1...

Vacations Are the Perfect Time for Families to Talk About Estate Planning

If you are like most Americans, you will probably be spending at least some of your vacation time this su...

Give While You Live to Avoid a Family Feud

A recent article in the New York Post about brothers battling over a painting from their uncle’s estate s...

Subject: Receiving an Inheritance One Day? Here’s What to Do Now.

Baby boomers are set to inherit up to $8.4 trillion over the next 15 years, according to The Center for R...

How to Protect Life Insurance Proceeds from Taxation

If you have been responsible enough to purchase a life insurance policy as added protection for your love...

4 Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Money

Asset protection is not something most people think too deeply about. Most of us are busy trying to accum...

How to Preserve a Family Vacation Home with a Trust

If you are fortunate enough to have a family vacation home, you know the emotional value it holds for eve...

How to Pass Along Family Heirlooms Peacefully

A recent Wall Street Journal article noted that boomers and seniors are more interested in passing along ...

6 Tax Questions to Ask Before Year-End

Everyone’s “to-do” lists seem to grow longer at this time of year, but yours is incomplete until you ask ...

7 Reasons to Consider a Trust for Your Family

Do you consider trusts to be instruments of the wealthy? While it is true that many Americans of means ha...

10 Tips for Charitable Giving This Holiday Season

According to a recent Forbes article, Americans donated more than $316 billion to charity last year – and...

New Help for Financial Caregivers

If you are helping an elderly parent or relative manage their finances or have been given a power of atto...

How to Care for Children with Special Needs Through Estate Planning

For many people, the basics of estate planning are simple enough, but for those families with loved ones ...

How Much Do You Charge for a Will?

If you came to this page to find out what I’ll charge you for a Will or you are considering calling me (o...

Family Wealth Planning: The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do Now to Feel Better About Yourself As a Parent – and Leave the World a Better Place – No Matter How Much Money You Have in the Bank

If you are like most of the parents I know, you feel guilty. It’s what parents do. Whether your guilt is ...

How to Get Your Boomerang Kid Off Your Couch & Ensure He Becomes an Adult You Are Proud to Say You Raised

A recent Economist article says a “perfect storm” of the poor economy of the past few years, resulting in...

Windsor Ruling Expands Estate Planning Prospects for Married Same-Sex Couples

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Windsor invalidated the federal Defense of Mar...

The 10 Keys to Planning and Living Your Best Retirement

Three-day weekends like the Labor Day just passed give us all the tiniest snippet of a glimpse into what ...

7 Steps for Effectively Managing an Inheritance

Research shows that a majority of baby boomers will receive an inheritance at some time during the lives,...

How to Ensure Your Life Insurance Benefits Go to Your Heirs

Recently, 11 major life insurance companies agreed to pay $763 million to the heirs of deceased policyhol...

The Talk You Need to Have With Your Parents

When you were a kid, your parents dreaded the talk they had to have with you. You know the one. Well, now...

10 Common Errors When Naming Life Insurance Beneficiaries That Will Hurt the People You Love – and How to Fix Them

If you make a mistake in naming beneficiaries for your life insurance policy, the people you love will en...

How to Avoid Family Conflict When Making an Estate Plan

Unfortunately, money has a habit of bringing out the worst in people, even in the best of families. One o...

6 Cases When a Trust is Better Than a Will

A will is one of the most basic estate planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that...

5 Key Decisions to Make With Your Spouse Before You Retire

Retirement decision-making for boomers is very different than it was for our parents, when it was usually...

Striking a Balance Between Funding Your Retirement and Your Child’s Education

Many parents perceive a conflict between funding a child’s college education and building their own retir...

The Risks of Poorman’s Estate Planning: How to Pass on Property & Avoid Probate the Right Way

They call it the “poor man’s estate planning.” Put your child on the title to your deed and avoid probate...

Congratulations! It’s an Estate Plan! Protecting Your Newborn From Birth

In the process of becoming new parents, many couples become experts at planning – scheduling the birthing...

New Social Security Rules and Services for 2013

There have been a number of new rules and services implemented by the Social Security Administration for ...

5 Ways to Ease the Pain of the Payroll Tax Hike

While the fiscal cliff tax deal cut by Congress last month targeted primarily higher wage earners, every ...

How to Secure Your Personal Information Online

Most of us conduct a lot of our personal business online these days, so the necessity of being savvy when...

Tips to Help You Reboot Your Retirement Plan

Planning for a long and prosperous retirement is no longer just about the money; because of the recession...

Will-Based vs. Trust-Based Plans: Key Differences Explained | PFL®

In this article I will explain the difference between a Will-based plan and a Trust-based plan so you can...

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