New Year’s Eve has come again, and it’s time for New Year’s Resolutions. A new year means a fresh start; it is an opportunity to reassess—your life, your work, and your self—and separate the wheat from the chaff; an opportunity to leave the unhelpful things behind with 2008 and bring in new and better habits… Read More »
Monthly Archives: December 2008
Taking the Fear Out of Taxes
“In the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” –Ben Franklin It’s that time of year again. With only two days left of 2008 it’s time to turn our thoughts to doing our taxes once more; and unless you’re an accountant, there’s probably a certain amount of grumbling and procrastination… Read More »
Some Family Tips For The Season
The holidays mean different things for all of us; time with family, a celebration of religious values, or an opportunity to show appreciation for loved ones with gifts… but for the elderly it can be a time of loneliness and depression. Those of us with busy and frantic holiday schedules may find it hard to… Read More »
Self Employed? Failure to Plan = Disaster
It used to be that people stayed at one company—one job—for their whole lives. Employers were benevolent, and almost part of the family; took care of families, once upon a time, offering health care coverage, life insurance, retirement packages… all this and an annual company picnic to boot! As we all know, the world is… Read More »
11 Days Left—Countdown to 2009
There are only eleven days left in 2008. If you had plans for this year—things you were absolutely going to get done before 2009—you are quickly running out of time to do them. This doesn’t only include your 2008 picks from the 1000 Places to See Before You Die, this includes smaller things, more prosaic… Read More »
Cheap Wills May Cost Your Loved Ones Later
With the holidays approaching and the economy in crisis, we’re all trying to cut back financially, especially on what we think of as non-essential items. And one of the areas in which people are cutting back, according to this article by Leslie Wimmer, is the area of estate planning. Some people are cutting back by… Read More »
Health Care Agent; Choose Your Representative Wisely
Do you know who will be making your end-of-life decisions when you are incapacitated? If you haven’t named a Health Care Agent, it is possible that a family member who does not share your views or wishes, or with whom you are no longer close, may be asked to call the shots in an end-of-life… Read More »
A Season of Giving
The economy is reeling, stocks are plummeting, and most people want nothing more than to take their money, hide it under a mattress, and avoid any kind of financial or estate planning. Giving money away is just about the last thing on most people’s minds right now. But those with financial wisdom and experience (namely… Read More »
Checks and Balances In Designing A Trust
Every once in a while we’ll hear a story about a family for whom a trust was more of a hindrance than a help. Most often it’s because the trust was not created properly, or was old and outdated and hadn’t been reviewed by the grantors on a regular basis. But sometimes the conflict is… Read More »
Give the Gift of Peace of Mind
The holidays are the perfect time for family reunions, family bonding, family fun …and, according to the Wall Street Journal the perfect time for parents and children to talk about family finances, family estate plans, and family decisions about end-of-life issues. After all, there are relatively few times each year in the lives of most… Read More »