National Preparedness Month is observed every September to encourage individuals, families, and communities to plan for disasters and emergencies. Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this annual campaign emphasizes actionable steps such as understanding local risks, making a family emergency plan, building an emergency supply kit, and getting involved in community preparedness efforts. […]
Continue reading…Be Ready for the Unexpected: A Big-Picture Checklist
National Preparedness Month is observed every September to encourage individuals, families, and communities to plan for disasters and emergencies. Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this annual campaign emphasizes actionable steps such as understanding local risks, making a family emergency plan, building an emergency supply kit, and getting involved in community preparedness efforts. […]
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Estate Planning After Remarriage
You may not be able to choose the family you are born into, but you can choose the family you build through marriage, partnership, and the life you create on your own terms. The traditional nuclear family is no longer the default, and biological family ties are no longer always assumed. Marriage remains its own […]
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Types of Life Insurance and How They Can Be Used in Estate Planning
Many people first encounter life insurance when they start a full-time job and are offered coverage through their employer’s group plan. It is an easy decision to make—and one that often receives little attention afterward. But as your financial and family circumstances evolve, your coverage is worth revisiting. What Is Life Insurance? In general terms, […]
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Estate Planning When Your Children Live in Different States
Today, many families are scattered across the country, with parents living in one state and children in another. Physical distance can introduce logistical hurdles that estate plans are not always built to handle. Even in a geographically clustered family, having a child living across state lines can create significant headaches if that child is named […]
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Marital Agreements Versus Wills and Trusts: Which Do You Need?
If you are entering a marriage or remarriage with significant assets, children from a prior relationship, business interests, inherited property, or a clear vision for your legacy, you may have been told that you need a will, a trust, or a marital agreement. These documents are often discussed together, but they serve different purposes. Treating […]
Continue reading…The Access Problem: When Clients (or Their Families) Cannot Reach What Matters
A client departs New York for business on a morning flight and is in London by the evening of the same day. Midair, they receive a potential fraud alert from their bank. Once back on the ground, they biometrically unlock their banking app on a train ride to the hotel and chat with a customer […]
Continue reading…Locked Out: Why Travel Can Expose the Weakest Part of Your Estate Plan
An irony of modern estate planning is that the more secure we make our digital lives, the more vulnerable we are to a planning lockdown when a crisis hits. This digital paradox is not unique to estate planning. We have all experienced technology that is supposed to make life easier but occasionally causes frustration. Security […]
Continue reading…Cross-Border Clients, Cross-Border Risk
Clients who travel internationally or own foreign assets may move fluidly among languages, cultures, and customs. However, they may not realize that their estate plan will not automatically follow them across foreign borders. Advisors and clients must be mindful of the limits of domestic planning and understand that plans written around US laws may not […]
Continue reading…Crossing Borders: When Your Estate Plan Does Not Travel with You
If you travel internationally, you may move fluidly among languages, cultures, and customs. However, you may not realize that your estate plan will not automatically follow you across foreign borders. Plans written around US laws may not be recognized or function as intended in other countries. An international lifestyle should be paired with an estate […]
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