Archive for October 2025
Coordinating Year-End Strategies Across CPAs, Financial Advisors & Attorneys
As the year draws to a close, many clients rush to finalize financial moves, tax strategies, and estate planning updates. But too often, these conversations happen in silos—the CPA focuses on taxes, the financial advisor looks at investment allocations, and the attorney updates legal documents. The result? Missed opportunities, inefficiencies, and sometimes, strategies that work…
Read MoreHelping Clients Avoid Sticker Shock at Year-End
As the calendar inches toward December, many clients are juggling holiday plans, year-end deadlines, and financial housekeeping. Estate planning can easily fall to the bottom of their list—until January arrives, and they’re met with an unwelcome surprise: sticker shock. For advisors, this is a critical window to help clients avoid that last-minute rush and the…
Read MoreThe Hidden Cost of Waiting Until After Year-End
For many families and business owners, the end of the year can feel like a blur—filled with holidays, deadlines, and last-minute to-dos. Estate planning often gets pushed to the bottom of the list with a simple thought: “We’ll just deal with it after the new year.” But that seemingly harmless delay can come with hidden…
Read MoreWhen Did You Last Review Your Beneficiaries?
When most people think about their estate plan, they picture their trust, will, or maybe their health care directives. But there’s a crucial piece that often gets overlooked—beneficiary designations. These simple forms, often completed years ago when setting up a retirement account, life insurance policy, or bank account, can have a major impact on where…
Read More3 Quick Fixes to Give You Peace of Mind Before Year-End
As the year winds down, it’s easy to get swept up in holiday plans, family gatherings, and wrapping up work projects. But before you close the books on this year, there’s one more gift you can give yourself and your loved ones: the peace of mind that comes from knowing your estate plan is in…
Read MoreCourage in Disguise
Halloween always makes me think about masks. At first, it’s the fun kind—the ones with glitter and face paint, the costumes that let kids transform into superheroes, witches, or anything they can imagine. But when the candy is eaten and the costumes are tucked away, I realize that masks don’t just belong to Halloween. We…
Read MoreLearning to Say “No” so Your “Yes” Has More Meaning
One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn—and if I’m honest, I’m still learning it—is how to say “no.” On the surface, “no” feels like such a small word. Two letters. A breath. And yet, it carries so much weight. It can feel sharp, even selfish, when it leaves our lips. So often, we…
Read MoreFuture-Proofing Your Clients’ Plans: Why Advisors Should Be Thinking Beyond 2025
Advisors are accustomed to year-end planning sprints. It’s when gifting gets finalized, business entities are reviewed, and portfolios are rebalanced. But as we approach the end of 2025, there’s a growing need to zoom out from the immediate deadlines and look at the bigger picture. The legal and economic landscape is shifting, and many high-net-worth…
Read MoreAdvisor Guide: End-of-Year Client Triggers to Watch
As the year comes to a close, advisors know it’s crunch time. Between tax planning, portfolio reviews, and business closeouts, clients are making key decisions that can have lasting legal and financial implications. This is also one of the best windows of the year to flag estate planning opportunities. A few well-timed conversations in Q4…
Read MoreYear-End Estate Planning Checklist: Don’t Miss These Simple Fixes
As the year draws to a close, it’s easy to get swept up in holiday plans, travel, and wrapping up work projects. But before you ring in the new year, take a few minutes to give your estate plan a quick checkup. Even if your overall plan is in great shape, small fixes and simple…
Read MoreNo Surprises: How to Estimate Costs and Avoid Year-End Sticker Shock
As the end of the year approaches, many families turn their attention to holiday plans, wrapping up finances, and setting goals for the year ahead. But there’s one important area that often gets pushed to the bottom of the list: updating your estate plan. The truth is, the longer you wait to make updates, the…
Read MoreLast Call: Year-End Deadlines for Estate Plan Updates
As the year winds down, it’s easy to get swept up in holiday plans, family gatherings, and wrapping up work projects. But before you turn the calendar, there’s one more thing to check off your list: making sure your estate plan is up to date. Why now? Because year-end is more than just a symbolic…
Read MoreAvoiding Sticker Shock: Why Small Updates Beat Big Overhauls
When it comes to your estate plan, waiting too long to make updates can lead to unnecessary stress—and unexpected costs. Just like maintaining a home, small, regular tune-ups are almost always more manageable (and affordable) than a major renovation down the road. Many families set up their estate plan, tuck the documents away for safekeeping,…
Read MoreHarvesting What You’ve Planted
October always makes me think about harvest. Not just in the sense of pumpkins, apple picking, and fall leaves, but in that deeper sense of taking stock of what’s grown from the seeds we’ve planted earlier in the year—or even years ago. It’s funny, because so much of the “planting” part of life feels slow…
Read MoreEstate Planning for Business Owners: Why Now, Not 2026
As a business owner, you’re no stranger to planning: revenue forecasts, capital expenditures, hiring decisions, exit strategies. But one planning horizon many tend to postpone is estate planning. It’s common to think, “I’ll get around to that in a few years,” maybe in 2026 or beyond. The problem: tax laws, business valuations, and incentives are…
Read MoreIs Your Business Ownership Properly Aligned with Your Trust?
When you took the time to create your estate plan, you made a powerful decision to protect your loved ones and the legacy you’ve worked so hard to build. But if you own a business, one critical detail can determine whether that plan actually works the way you intended: how your business ownership is titled…
Read MoreSuccession Pathways: Sell, Keep, or Steward?
Clarifying Your Vision to Protect Your Business, Your Family, and Your Legacy Every business owner eventually faces one of the most defining decisions of their career: what happens to the business when you step away. Will you sell and cash out, keep it in the family, or steward it into the future through carefully chosen…
Read MoreHow Advisors Can Spot When Business Clients Need Estate Planning
Good Planning Protects the Business You’ve Worked So Hard to Build Business owners spend years—sometimes decades—building their life’s work. But without proper estate planning, everything they’ve built can become vulnerable overnight: to lawsuits, taxes, family conflict, or leadership gaps. As a trusted advisor, you’re often the first to see the warning signs. Recognizing key triggers…
Read MoreIs Your Business Protected from Creditors and Lawsuits?
Running a business comes with inherent risks—some expected, others entirely unforeseen. From contract disputes to employee claims, accidents, or unexpected creditor issues, one lawsuit can threaten everything you’ve worked to build. The good news? With the right structure and protections in place, you can shield your personal assets and your business’s long-term stability. 1. The…
Read MoreBusiness Well Check Basics: What Every Owner Should Review Before Year-End
As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time for business owners to pause, take stock, and make sure their business is positioned for strength in the year ahead. Just like an annual physical helps catch issues early, a Business Well Check gives owners a clear picture of their company’s overall health—financial, legal,…
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