» Asset Protection

Estate Planning for Your Works of Art

Art investors are nearly always advised not to invest in art at all, but to collect it. Buy what you like, the conventional wisdom goes, not what you expect to increase in value. But collectors still must contemplate financial matters, especially rel… Read More
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Is the Family Business a Part of Your Estate Plan?

Family business contributes to over 70 percent of global productions, but owners of them don't update their estate planning. It's estimated that over 50 percent of family business owners didn't update their estate planning documents fo… Read More
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Can You Do Estate Planning for Your Farm?

Succession planning is one of the most important aspects of passing on a farm to future generations, but having a conversation about it is not always easy. Jolene Brown, an Iowa farmer and professional speaker, and Nelson Schoon, certified financial… Read More
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Using A Revocable Trust as the Primary Method for Disposing of Your Estate

If you haven't considered using a revocable trust rather than a will as your main estate planning document, you could be making a critical mistake. A recent MoneyWatch article, “5 reasons you need a trust, not a will,” lists five reasons for… Read More
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Who Pays the Bills If I’m Not Around?

Who pays the bills in your house? If your house is like most, there is probably one person who handles most of the financial matters. Would you or your spouse be prepared to assume the role of managing the household finances if something happened to… Read More
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Can I Survive Financially if I Live to be 100?

How long will you live? It’s a key question in retirement planning. If you’re healthy and your family tree has branches with staying power, you may figure that you have decades ahead. If your parents died early of natural causes, you may assume a… Read More
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Don’t Forget Estate Planning for Your Family Business

Skilled estate planning is essential to the tax-efficient transfer of the family business across the generations. While the majority of family business owners have estate plans, the majority of these plans can be considered dated. Family businesses a… Read More
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Which Type of Trust is Right for Me?

Trusts can be a great way to update an estate plan, whether within a will or as a separate estate-planning tool. Trusts have a reputation for being something that most people don't have to worry about, with most seeing a trust as a vehicle for t… Read More
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What’s that Document Called Again?

"Mistitling of assets is one of the prominent causes of failed estate plans," asserts Avani Ramnani, CFP®, director of financial planning and wealth management at Francis Financial, a wealth management firm in New York. What might go wrong… Read More
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Special-Purpose Trusts for the Mentally Ill and Those Suffering from Addiction

It was the summer between her sophomore and junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when Patti Sacher’s daughter Keisha had a breakdown. She had taken LSD at a Grateful Dead concert one weekend in 1989. When Mrs. Sacher called to check o… Read More
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