I’ve talked for a few years about Thanksgiving as an opportune window for clients to talk with loved ones about their health care wishes and goals. For 2014, this ship has (obviously) sailed. But the December holiday season still presents an opportunity for you to give clients valuable advice on this subject. Most clients probably […]

This time of year many companies are tackling the daunting task of tax planning. However, this part of managing your business doesn’t have to be one of those pull-your-hair-out, give-you-a-headache kind of tasks. Rather than looking at tax planning as a chore, try instead to consider this an opportunity to assess your business’ activities and […]

Who owns the casket used to bury someone?  That is the unusual question facing a Texas judge. Lee Harvey Oswald, President John F. Kennedy’s assassin, was buried days after he shot President Kennedy and was in turn shot by Jack Ruby. The casket in which he was buried had been purchased by his brother, Robert […]

The time immediately after the death of a loved one can be stressful and overwhelming. Family Members are grieving, and on top of this, they must handle a variety of organizational and legal tasks. In many cases, there can also be disputes concerning who gets certain possessions, which can make the whole situation even messier […]

Most law firms now recognize the value that social media marketing can bring by improving brand awareness, increasing website traffic, and boosting conversion rates. A recent study by IBM found that consumers who visited a website from a social media site were twice as likely to convert into a lead as those who went directly […]

Earlier this autumn, I visited the Carter Center for a meeting of its National Planned Giving Advisory Board, on which I am honored to serve. We had several interesting discussions and presentations. Of particular interest was a set of findings from Bank of America / U.S. Trust. U.S. Trust conducted a survey of high net […]

I returned from a full 6 days of Academy adventure in Houston, TX recently, and I have to admit that I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into it. But it has been an incredible experience. I feel fortunate that the Academy’s Master Speaker School Workshop was scheduled along with our Peak Performers Program […]

Today it is a bitter cold day in November!! When I left home it was 15 degrees and the weather forecaster informed me that the wind chill would make it feel like 2. As I briskly walked the short distance from my parking garage to my office, I passed a woman wearing a puffy, hooded […]

Last week, I wrote about the 10 Worst States for Retirement, based on a piece in USA Today. This week, let’s look at the 10 Best Places for Retirement in 2014, according to Bankrate.com. The ranking lists the following states: 10. Virginia Virginia ranked well because it had relatively low taxes, cost of living, and […]

Despite the common misconception, marketing in and of itself won’t magically generate new business. You can wave your wand over your computer, chant incantations and cast spells on your email, online and social marketing, but even if your name is Harry Potter and you graduated at the top of your class from Hogwart’s School of […]