On September 18, the Veterans Administration (VA) published new rules that make it more difficult to qualify for this important benefit. For example, any gifts made in the past 36 months, either to a family member or to an irrevocable trust, would be penalized. Likewise, an investment in an annuity would also be penalized.
How To Be an Effective Advocate for Your Loved One
There is nothing worse than learning your loved one has been diagnosed with a chronic condition or a life threatening disease. We know just how suddenly this can happen to a family and have seen many of our clients quickly overwhelmed by all that is involved in caring for a loved one or family
Planning Your Funeral: A Legacy Gift Like No Other
In speaking with a friend whose mother had recently died, he shared with me a beautiful story about a quite unexpected gift his mother had left for him and his brother. He was so moved by it that it brought him to tears. He explained that when he contacted the local funeral home, he learned
Planning for Frequent Flyer Miles
What happens to my frequent flyer miles when I die? This is a common question that we hear from clients when we are assisting them with their estate planning. Frequent Flyer miles and other reward points can be valuable resources. Many credit card companies give tens of thousands of miles or points for opening an
5 Ways to Use Estate Planning to Prepare for the Rising Costs of Education
Higher education costs are just that – higher. The steady increase in educational expenses means your clients have much steeper bills for their children’s college tuitions than they had for their own. To illustrate how stark this contrast is, the average cost of tuition has increased 213 percent in the last 30 years, To make
Tips On Creating the Right Durable Power of Attorney
We know that it can be challenging to think about who will handle your assets if you become unable to do so yourself. Although this concern starts with your money, have you thought about how difficult it would be for your loved ones to make not only those important decisions on your behalf but
Do You Have Enough Life Insurance? What you Need to Know.
Life insurance provides security and peace of mind that our loved ones will be financially taken care of even if we are no longer around. However, how do you know if you have purchased enough or gotten the right policies? For many (including us) the first foray into life insurance may have felt like shooting