I’ve blogged before on the topic of same-sex marriage. Federal Judges in many states have ruled that the state bans on same-sex marriage violate the federal constitution. In most of those states, the cases are on appeal. The states of Oregon and Pennsylvania may now be added to the list of states which are allowing […]

Business email marketing began in the mid 1990s. It remains one of the most powerful marketing tools today, although the way we utilize the tool has evolved. Email marketing pioneers started off by sending out ad hoc emails when the need arose (such as when there was a sale, special offer, or something new to […]

It almost seems like we need to be reporting the weather for Texas lately. Our 2014 Spring Summit was in Houston three weeks ago and the incredible spring weather nearly beat out our normally wonderful San Diego weather. We were back a week and then off to San Antonio for a Matson Money conference and […]

Last week, I explored how clients could leave assets to their children and grandchildren. I explored the use of 529 plans, as well as the use of trusts. This week, I’ll explore other ways clients can choose to leave a legacy. If clients want to leave a financial legacy, other than to their family, they […]

A correspondent in a recent Dear Abby column posed a great end-of-life preparation question. He or she was a single person with grown children who wrote, “I want to make sure I am not a burden to them even after death. I have a will and no bills. What else do I need to do?” […]

Wildfires have been spreading throughout San Diego County in the last few days, where the Academy offices are located. The need to pack up what we can carry and plan to evacuate our families, pets, and mementos away from our homes has caused us to take a moment to think of the things that we […]

I recently returned to San Diego after the Academy’s Spring Summit event in Houston and the Spring meeting of the Carter Center’s national Planned Giving Advisory Board in Atlanta. While I was travelling, I had time to consider what clients care about most. First, clients are often looking for the best way to gift to […]

Here’s a recent cautionary tale that you might wish to share with clients about the importance of doing advance care planning – and doing it right. This case was brought to my attention by Hamline Law professor Thaddeus Pope, who writes a terrific blog about medical futility. In March 2014, Terry Mace, age 43, went […]

I just wrapped up the American Academy’s Spring Summit event in Houston. In many sessions, including the Keynote Address, we discussed how leaving a legacy is more important than tax issues or other issues. When people are in their final days, few regret that they did not earn enough money. They cherish the things which […]

One of the common challenges for most law firms is the up and down nature of business flow. Yesterday was disappointing. Today is wonderful. Life is like that, isn’t it?What would our personal disposition be like if we really got that, not on an intellectual, conceptual level, but really understood it? Wouldn’t we be clearheaded and […]