I spent an hour or so a couple weeks ago talking to an attorney who focuses on Pet Planning. She is quite successful in her efforts and I wanted to know more about how she attracted such a great flow of business. There were no huge secrets in what she had to say: Be passionate […]

Social media sites make it easy to brand your business. Unlike traditional forms of marketing, social media marketing allows you to instantly communicate your message to your prospects. It is with this ease of use that can also get you into a PR nightmare. Would you know what to do if someone in your office […]

There’s more to a clients’ material wealth than just cash. Of course, we all know and plan for clients’ stocks, bonds, and real property. But one of the often overlooked assets is frequent flyer miles. As you know, airlines and affinity credit cards have been battling each other for years to gain the loyalty of […]

One Academy Member submitted a question about how to bump probate business up a notch. Some of our suggestions included the following: Some Members get a lot of Probate business from Google searches. Take a look at your website rankings to make sure you are visible with probate keywords. If you use Google Ads, make […]

After coaching law firms for almost 20 years, we’ve discovered that most estate planning practices fail or don’t live up to the owner’s expectations because of the failure in these 7 critical areas: No unifying vision, purpose, or principles that motivate the firm beyond just making money Failure to effectively communicate the firm’s mission to […]

It seems there’s a shifting tide in the way wealthy Americans feel about transferring their financial wealth to their children. And the kids may not be ok with this. While many financially wealthy parents do plan to leave a tidy financial inheritance to their children and / or grandchildren, there is also a clear, growing […]

Is your staff saying they are too busy, have too much on their plate, can’t possibly handle another responsibility? Well, before you rush to hire a new staff person, you may want to look at your current employees’ productivity and its impact on your revenue. One benchmark we analyze on financial review calls and strategic […]

Point A on the map can be where you are now in anything in your life or business… maybe it’s the number of Facebook fans you currently have, your current average revenue per month, or your weight this morning. Point B is a little tougher to identify. Determining the RIGHT goal for the period you’re […]

It seems we will find out the answer in the coming days. In Janson, et al. v. LegalZoom.com, Inc., (No. 10-CV-04018-NKL, W.D.Mo.), LegalZoom.com, Inc. faces a lawsuit alleging that it is engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, in violation of Missouri law. Originally, the case was brought in state court, but was removed to […]

The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association recently held their summer university. I attended the ICCFA University College of 21st Century Funeral Services and came away with a new perspective on how funerals are changing. Dr. Alan Wolfelt, a psychologist trained in life transitions who spoke there, said, “More and more people in North America […]