Picture this: you've just set up your estate plan using a quick and easy online DIY form or a budget-friendly legal service. Or, maybe your financial advisor drafted it for you for a nominal fee while creating your financial plan (possibly committing the unauthorized practice of law). These optio...
Many entrepreneurs pride themselves on their resilience and drive, often working tirelessly to build their businesses from the ground up. However, this relentless pace can lead to burnout, a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that can jeopardize both your health and your business...
Imagine accidentally throwing away $700 million. While it sounds like the plot of a movie, this nightmare scenario has become a reality for James Howells, a computer engineer from Wales, who has now spent more than a decade fighting to recover a discarded hard drive containing the private key to ...
You've taken the important step of creating a trust based estate plan—congratulations! This shows you care deeply about keeping your family out of court and conflict, ensuring your wishes are known and honored, and you do not want to leave behind a mess for the people you love. Great work. But he...
Most business owners spend years building their companies with dedication, sacrifice, and endless hours of hard work. You've likely poured your heart and soul into creating something meaningful that provides for your family and contributes to your community. But there's an important question many...
Love in the 21st century takes many forms, and for a growing number of couples, "forever" doesn't always include a marriage license. While a deeply personal choice, being unmarried adds layers of legal and financial complexity that can't be ignored, especially when it comes to protecting your ass...
Most business partnerships begin with shared goals and optimism. However, life happens, and personal matters—especially divorce—can create ripple effects that threaten your company's financial stability, leadership continuity, and future. If you're in business with a partner, their divorce isn't ...
When someone asks you to be the executor of their estate, it might seem like a straightforward responsibility - distribute assets according to their will and handle some paperwork. However, as many executors discover, the role involves far more complexity, time, and emotional labor than expected....
Women are launching businesses at an unprecedented rate, yet the road to success is rarely smooth. While female founders are proving their resilience and innovation daily, they still face unique challenges—from securing funding to balancing leadership with personal life demands. But let's be clea...
When you create an estate plan that includes a living trust, you've taken an essential step toward protecting your home and family from the cost of court. However, many people don't realize that placing their home in a trust requires updating their homeowner's insurance policy. Without this cruci...
When starting a business, one of the most critical decisions you'll face is choosing your business structure. While many entrepreneurs automatically gravitate toward forming an LLC (Limited Liability Company), this one-size-fits-all approach might not be optimal for your specific situation. Your ...
Every year on February 1st, we observe National Unclaimed Property Day - a reminder of the staggering $60 billion in forgotten and abandoned assets currently held by state governments across America. And this isn't just spare change we're talking about. These are life insurance policies, forgotte...
Every successful journey starts with a map, and your business journey is no different. While many entrepreneurs feel overwhelmed by the idea of creating a business plan, seeing it as just another box to check or a document that will gather dust, a well-crafted business plan can be the difference ...
Surveys conducted in 2024 by Caring.com and Ameriprise Financial revealed a troubling trend: Americans are falling behind on estate planning. The Caring.com survey revealed that only 32% of Americans have a will - a 6% decline from 2023. The Ameriprise survey found that 52% of couples lack estate...
When preparing for college expenses, understanding how financial aid and estate planning intersect can make a significant difference. This article will break down the essentials of how asset ownership influences aid eligibility, offer actionable strategies to increase the chances of receiving aid...
When it comes to planning for your family's future, the options can feel overwhelming. Should you get a will? Create a trust? And what happens if you do nothing at all? These aren't just academic questions - your choices today will impact your loved ones tomorrow. In this second installment of a ...
Understanding how accounts are titled and who has access to them isn't just about convenience—it's about ensuring your assets transfer smoothly to your loved ones while protecting them from potential risks. But how should you go about this? When it comes to estate planning, I get many questions...
In Part 1 of this series, we explored general estate planning considerations given today's changing landscape, especially related to taxes, interest rates, and asset protection. Now, let's focus on how to protect families with unique planning needs, including LGBTQIA+ families and those with chil...
With a new presidential administration onboarding, the estate planning landscape is shifting beneath our feet. If you've been waiting for the "right time" to create or update your estate plan, there's truly no time like the present, which presents both opportunities and urgencies that demand atte...
How do you know if you need a premarital agreement? If any of the following apply to you or your fiancée, it would be wise to discuss a prenup. 1. There are Significant Assets If you or your fiancée possess substantial assets (401K or investment accounts or cars, boats, or real estate) going in...
Small business owners have one more item on their compliance to-do list now that the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) has taken affect. The CTA,[1] enacted as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (AMLA), places new reporting requirements on many business entities in an effort to expose ...
When your child turns 18, they're legally considered an adult even though they have a lot more growing to do (though they may not think so!). Just like any other adult, their health and financial information is protected by privacy laws. But unlike any other adult, that's still your child and you...
When you are first starting a business, operating it as a sole proprietorship may make a lot of sense. Sole proprietorships are simple and inexpensive to set up and maintain: they are operated by a single taxpayer and are the most common form of business organization. From a tax and legal perspe...
As the world and its laws continue to evolve, everyone needs to keep their estate plans up to date. An estate plan is a set of documents, such as a will or trust, that dictate how assets will be distributed upon death or incapacity. An individual's current legal and financial situation should be ...
Congratulations! You have decided to form a limited liability company (LLC) to run your business. Aftercompleting your state formation process, your LLC needs to have the right documentation in place. Anoperating agreement, sometimes called a company agreement, is a legal document that describes ...