This is another in a series of blogs on the basics of estate planning. This week, we’ll look at decanting. Decanting is the process of moving the assets of a trust from one trust, the original trust, to a new trust with different terms. While this may be allowed by case law in some states, […]

Are you a “Yes!” man or woman? Are you the person who takes on as many projects and social events as your schedule will allow? Do you thrive on keeping a busy, productive schedule? I would bet many of you reading this fit that bill and may have even felt overwhelmed a time or two. […]

Ever wondered why the images you so painstakingly downloaded from the web for your newsletter end up printing so fuzzy when they were so sharp onscreen? It’s a matter of resolution. Not one of those resolutions you vow to follow each new year, but image resolution. Think of every picture as a tightly packed bunch […]

Portability of a deceased spouse’s unused exclusion amount has been part of the Internal Revenue Code since 2010. It could not be relied upon (due to the sunset provision in the law) until the American Taxpayer Relief Act made it “permanent” (or what counts as permanent in today’s world) in 2012. In order to obtain […]

In estate planning, as with funeral planning, often the biggest challenge is getting clients to address an unspoken fear of mortality. The use of humor, well before anyone dies, can help break down this resistance. Recently, Phanuef Funeral Homes and Crematorium in Manchester, New Hampshire hosted two presentations of “Kicking the Bucket List: Downsizing and […]

Do you have a back-up plan in case one of your team Members is out for an unknown length of time? As many of you know, we like to pride ourselves on our use of systems. We have detailed job descriptions and our programs have thorough management descriptions and tasks. Heck, even our special projects […]

This is another in a series of blogs on the basics of estate planning. This week, we’ll look at taxpayer identification numbers. Frequently, there’s confusion regarding Taxpayer Identification Numbers. A Taxpayer Identification Number (“TIN”), is the number which is used to identify a taxpayer. For most individuals, it’s simply their social security number (“SSN”). For […]

It’s easier to start with the basics in the beginning than it is to remember what those basics were and get back to them years later. Part of the reason that tracking is so important all along the way, when it comes to recording or documenting a process or saving the results with a particular […]

Yes, I have the answer. The definitive, 5-part answer to the one question we may be asked at the Academy more than any other: “Why isn’t my marketing working?” And you know what I love about the answer to that question? I have a solution to go along with it! Marketing can be a tricky, […]

This is another in a series of blogs on the basics of estate planning. This week, we’ll look at credit shelter trusts. The gold standard for estate planning has been the credit shelter trust, often called a Family Trust. With each spouse being able to pass $5 million adjusted for inflation ($5.49 million in 2017) […]