Much as if you don’t plan for your business to survive over time, if you don’t plan for your business to survive through life altering events such as death, disability and/or retirement, your golden egg is at risk of being severely cracked, if not completely shattered. Essentially, planning for the succession of your business may [...]

Mr. Jones was a self-made man: successful business owner, loving husband, and father to three successful young men with families of their own. A few years ago Mr. Jones sold his business for $3 million, paid a staggering $450,000 in taxes and decided to retire by means of investing the remainder of these assets in [...]

The recent financial crisis has undoubtedly changed the landscape for investing. We only thought making decisions about our investments was tedious and complex before the Great Recession. Many theories have been challenged and proven to be flawed. Many conventional retirement planning strategies were broken and unable to mend. Consequently, the big question is: “Where do [...]

…your spouse and family may be A-Okay owed to the extensive planning you have done with your Life Planner. But what about your grown children? How would their spouses and children hold up financially? Do you know? The first and foremost reason any of us buy life insurance is because we love our families and [...]

If you’re familiar with any of the various types of trusts, you probably know them as an estate planning tool.  But another aspect of trusts that is not as well known has to do with the tax implications of holding your assets “in trust.”  While there are many different types of trusts that work toward [...]

While it’s something we hope would never happen, losing a spouse becomes an unfortunate reality many people must face.  While the emotional trauma is the first and hardest blow, an important next step is looking towards the future and assessing your financial situation.  As a single person for the first time in years, there are [...]

We live our lives and are encouraged to live life fully and to not have regrets. Though in fact, that word itself establishes a negative frame of mind. However, we have found that this same word can produce a positive outcome  with the addition of a simple adjective: unacceptable. At the end of your life, [...]

If you or your spouse were to need long-term care assistance today, which of your assets would you liquidate first? This isn’t a trick question. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the average rate for a private room in a nursing home within the state of Texas is just under $5,000 [...]

We have all questioned the things they allow on prime time TV today – especially the foul language, blood and guts, nudity etc. We know that this can’t possibly be a good influence on children flicking through the channels. Yet we’ve all seen a movie or TV show in which there was a hairstyle we [...]

Some folks think that “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” ….but in all honesty, it is what you don’t know you don’t know that will. And events of the last two years or so have, if nothing else, taught us that there is a lot we don’t know: and not just about the Market, [...]