financial planning news & resources
News & Resources
Unbiased, independent financial planning news and resources to help guide you in your financial planning journey.
What’s an Accredited Estate Planner?
The AEP® designation is conferred upon those individuals who meet its stringent admission standards which include, among other things, significant prior experience in estate planning activities and material formal education in the subject matter.
What’s a Fee-Only Financial Advisor?
In working with a fee-only advisor, the client is assured that their needs come first.
Estate Planning for Beginners – Part 5: Credit Shelter Trusts
The takeaway here should be the value of using a Credit Shelter Trust as a tool in our planning. Does it play into every estate plan? Of course not. Should it be a consideration? Absolutely. As planners, we need to understand when and where it “may be” appropriate.
Estate Planning for Beginners – Part 4: Estate Taxes
Unbeknownst to most financial advisors is the value of a “Disclaimer Trust.” In the world of estate planning documents, a Disclaimer Trust is a form of a Credit Shelter Trust.
Estate Planning for Beginners – Part 3: Trusts and Their Uses
In the process of estate planning, one of the key decisions is establishing a revocable trust or a will that includes a trust. But what exactly is a trust? Like a will, a trust lays out instructions for the distribution of assets.
Estate Planning for Beginners – Part 2: How Assets are Passed
It may surprise a lot of people to discover how many individuals die without a will. In the not-too-distant past, this would include Prince, Michael Jackson, Howard Hughes, Salvatore Phillips “Sonny” Bono, and Jimi Hendrix, just to name a few.