Helping Clients Protect Themselves and Their Loved Ones This National Safety Month

For over a quarter of a century, the National Safety Council has recognized June as National Safety Month. An objective of National Safety Month is to raise public awareness of the top safety and health risks in the United States. One of the lesser-known but considerable risks Americans and their loved ones face are the […]

Three Things You Can Do to Help Clients with National Moving Month

The month of May means not only the end of the school year and the beginning of summer but also the beginning of the busiest moving season of the year. That’s why May is National Moving Month. Your clients have a lot to think about when moving: along with organizing and packing up all of […]

Help Clients Celebrate Earth Day with These Environmentally Friendly Burial Options

When it comes to death and what to do with a deceased’s remains, most people think of only two options: burial or cremation. However, these options are not particularly environmentally friendly. Burial, which is arguably the worst option from an environmental standpoint, uses an estimated 100,000 tons of steel, 1.5 million tons of concrete, 77,000 […]

What Will Happen If Your Clients’ Loved Ones Become Disabled?

We all plan for “just-in-case” scenarios. When packing for our week-long vacation, we throw in a rain jacket even though the weather forecast is sunny—just in case. When helping clients plan for the future, it is also important to consider what will happen just in case one of our clients’ loved ones becomes disabled. We tend […]

Presidential Estate Planning Lessons You Can Use to Advise Your Clients

February 21 is the day on which we celebrate several US presidents who made noteworthy contributions to our country. As with any discussion that involves politics, a discussion about US presidents risks generating a variety of opinions about which reasonable minds can disagree. However, politics is not the focus of this month’s newsletter. Instead, our […]

Three Steps to Helping Clients Find Their Happiness and Honor it with their Estate Plan

Not only is January the first month of a new year, it is also a time when many celebrate Hunt for Happiness Week (January 16-22, 2022). Happiness is something that humanity, in large part, has spent a tremendous amount of effort pursuing throughout history. Early on, happiness likely came from simple victories such as having […]

Why You Might Not Want to Be a Client’s Beneficiary

Imagine the following scenario: As a professional advisor, you have worked with a married couple for decades. They have been ideal clients, have taken a genuine interest in you and your family, and have told you on multiple occasions how much they appreciate your professional advice and friendship for all of these years. The wife […]

How a Fender Bender Might Impact Your Clients’ Finances and Estate Plan

In the chilling words of several George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones characters, “Winter is coming.” Along with this change of seasons comes a change in driving conditions in much of North America—slippery roads, rain, snow, less sunlight during the morning and evening commutes, and a variety of other hazards. Unfortunately, with an increase in […]

Estate Planning Awareness Week: Don’t Let Your Clients Fall Victim to These Common Myths

Next week is Estate Planning Awareness Week (October 18–24, 2021). To that end, this month’s newsletter is geared toward helping you, as a professional advisor, gain awareness and understanding of the most common estate planning myths. Left unaddressed, these myths can create serious trouble for families and individuals, often leading to intrafamily conflict, permanently damaged […]

Preparing Your Clients for the Reduction in the Estate Tax Exemption

In late May of this year, the U.S. Treasury released a publication detailing a number of the proposed tax code changes that the Biden administration would like to usher through Congress in an ambitious effort to modernize the US tax system to meet its citizens’ needs. While reasonable minds may differ strongly on the best […]