by John C. Martin | Feb 21, 2014 | Estate Plan Maintenance, Estate Planning for Families, Tax Planning
Many retirees today worry about having enough money for their retirement. Of special concern is if there will be enough money to provide for the surviving spouse. This is called “shortfall risk,” and it is a valid concern. People are living longer and health care...
by admin | Feb 18, 2014 | Estate Plan Maintenance
Most of us will admit to having made some financial mistakes we regret—running up credit card debt, impulse buying, or making a bad investment or business decision. While there can be significant devastation, the key is to move beyond regret into productive action....
by John C. Martin | Feb 14, 2014 | Estate Plan Maintenance, Estate Planning for Families, Tax Planning
Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and over 50% of the Fortune 400’s The Richest People in America list have decided to give away their wealth for charitable pursuits. Of course, not many of us have that kind of money or are inclined to give away all we own. However, giving to...
by John C. Martin | Feb 11, 2014 | Estate Plan Maintenance, Estate Planning for Families
So far in this series on wasting money, we have looked at how people may overpay for housing, interest, transportation, food, clothing and entertainment. In this last part, we will look at a few more areas in which we may pay more than necessary—taxes, insurance, not...
by John C. Martin | Jan 27, 2014 | Estate Plan Maintenance, Tax Planning
Make this your top New Year’s resolution — update your estate plan this year. If you didn’t update your estate plan last year when the federal tax laws changed, 2014 is the year to make some important changes in it. Alterations to tax laws can definitely impact your...
by John C. Martin | Jan 6, 2014 | Estate Plan Maintenance, Estate Planning for Families, Tax Planning
The first part of planning for long-term care is realizing that, a) most of us will need this kind of care for at least some time before we die and b) the cost of this care can be financially devastating for a family if it is not planned for in advance. This was...