The most important inheritance you can provide for your loved ones is so much more than the money you’ll leave behind. The most important inheritance includes your values, insights, stories, and experience. We all have the intention of creating a journal or a recording, but life gets in the way and the journaling or recording never happens. Capturing your story, in recorded form, is one of the most rewarding aspects Read More
3 Vital Estate Planning Documents for High School Graduates
With the arrival of summer, young people across the country are about to reach a key milestone: high school graduation. If you have a child claiming their diploma, now is the time to prepare them for life after leaving the nest. Graduating high school is a significant accomplishment. However, it comes with serious responsibilities that your child probably isn't thinking much about right now. Once your child turns Read More
How to Incorporate Family Values in Your Estate Planning
Baby boomers know money isn’t the only important aspect of estate planning. A study released by the Allianz Life Insurance, Co. showed baby boomers wanted to leave their family more than just financial assets. Researchers found baby boomers identified family values as some of the most important things to pass down to heirs. In this economic climate, it’s no wonder family values imparted through stories, life Read More
How to Continue Your Family Values for Generations
Most of us want to make a mark in the world. That’s a big part of what gives our lives meaning. And whether or not we have children, our history and stories can be a unique and irreplaceable gift to our families. With just a little effort, we can preserve our family values for generations to come. It can be difficult to pass on our traditions and our values, however, especially when we feel no one is listening. Read More
How To Make Better, Faster Decisions During Uncertain Times
When there’s a blow to your business, especially an unprecedented world event like the pandemic we are living through, you might feel paralyzed and unable to make a move. But when problems crop up, you as a business owner can’t afford to freeze. Or fight, or flee, for that matter. Freeze, fight, and flee are the three most common responses to trauma, and they are reactive states that can sneak up on us before we even Read More
The Real Cost To Your Family: Having No Estate Plan At All
This is the third in an ongoing series of NLBM articles discussing the true costs and consequences of failed estate planning. The series highlights a few of the most common—and costly—planning mistakes we encounter with clients. If the series exposes any potential gaps or weak spots in your plan, meet with a Personal Family Lawyer to learn how to properly address them. When it comes to putting off or refusing to Read More
Talking with Your Family About Your Estate Plan
Is it time to have “the talk” with your kids? We’re not talking about a “birds and bees” talk but one that is equally important, perhaps more so. Everyone has concerns about what will happen when they die. Some people worry about their homes, cars, or money. Others worry about their children. Rare, however, is the person who actually wants to talk about these things with their families. Opening these Read More
Ready To Travel Again? Here’s Your Estate Planning Checklist
It finally looks like travel is becoming a real possibility again. With more than a year’s worth of vacations and business travel completely scrapped, you can sense the excitement (and maybe a little nervousness) in the air. For our part, we and many of our friends are fully vaccinated and ready to go – anywhere! While it’s the last thing we want to think about, dusting off that passport doesn’t come without its Read More
Don’t Let Your Kids Move Out Without This Plan
Watching your kids leave home to attend college or start their career can be an emotional time for you as a parent. On one hand, moving out on their own is a major accomplishment that should make you proud. On the other hand, having your kids leave the nest and face the world can induce anxiety and fear. Regardless of your feelings, once they reach age 18, your kids become legal adults, and many areas of their Read More
How To Make Estate Planning The One Resolution You Keep In 2020
We make them with the best of intentions, New Year’s resolutions. At the end of the month up to 40% of us will resolve to accomplish something in 2020. Yet, not unsurprisingly, a mere 8% of us will actually keep those resolutions and succeed in our goals. Some of the most important resolutions we will set center on family and money. Though estate planning doesn’t typically come to mind when you think “resolution,” Read More
