How seniors can keep busy by working from home

Posted by Gerald J. Turner – Working Americans often dream of the day when they can retire and wind it down after decades of punching a clock. But this is to be expected — who would not want to rid themselves of the daily rat race which probably includes getting up early dressing in uncomfortable clothes, and fighting traffic on the daily commute? But when the time finally comes, many seniors find that something unexpected occurs. They miss the sense of purpose and social interaction they received from working every day. For these people, and for seniors whose financial situation necessitates it, returning to work is a way to feel great and earn extra money on the side. Many retirees have found it a positive experience to work from home. Working from home can alleviate numerous stressors of working life, including the grind of driving to and from work, and

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Helping Clients Plan From the Heart: Beyond Money in Estate Planning

Many clients and advisors think of estate planning as a logistical process designed to reduce taxes, avoid court, and protect assets. Of course, proper planning does enhance the security of their families and assets, but estate planning is actually much more. Although we write frequently to you about the tax, asset protection, and court-avoiding benefits of estate planning, the process can also be an expression of love, hopes, dreams, and goals for your clients’ loved ones. There are a number of ways your clients can pass on their legacy to their heirs through archival projects, incentivized trusts, charitable contributions, and more. By highlighting and helping deliver on the human side of estate planning, you can strengthen client relationships and increase retention, build a stable base of long-term retention of assets under management, and become known in your community as an advisor that cares about more than just the numbers. Telling

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It’s Not Too Late for a Portability Election

Posted by Robert L. Arone – New Opportunity for Late Portability Just Opened Up by IRS Portability has brought both convenience and confusion to the estate planning community. Available for surviving spouses after 2011, portability allows an unused estate tax exemption to be transferred from a deceased spouse to his or her surviving spouse. While this sounds like an appealing prospect to look into for your clients, it has come with its fair share of hassle thanks to ever-shifting policies and narrow windows of time in which to take action. Taking advantage of portability has been harder in practice than was anticipated. IRS Revenue Procedure 2017-34 Previously, surviving spouses had a mere 15 months (9 months plus a 6-month automatic extension) in which to elect portability after the death of their partner. As you know, your clients are only human: The experience of losing a spouse is always a trying

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Estate Planning Should Always be a Team Effort

Posted by Robert L. Arone – A Team of Coordinated Professionals Is Your Clients’ Best Bet Picture a symphony’s worth of classical musicians all trying to play a piece in perfect harmony, but they can’t see one another. Each of them also has slightly different sheet music. It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to know it’s not going to sound pretty. That’s what it’s like for clients whose various advisors don’t communicate. Of course, an individual’s wealth management strategy doesn’t come from just one part of their approach, but rather a comprehensive and holistic combination of the efforts of several professionals. A little miscommunication goes a long way You might be surprised to consider just how often disjointed planning and advising can impact a client’s long-term financial well-being. Estate planning attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, and insurance agents may have access to the same initial set of client documents

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The Superior Alternative to “I Love You” Wills

Posted by Robert L. Arone – Guide Your Clients to Lifetime Beneficiary Directed Trusts Instead As Valentine’s Day brings heart-shaped chocolate boxes and roses by the dozen into your clients’ imaginations, seize the moment to educate them about the drawbacks of “I love you” wills and introduce them to the estate planning move that’s actually going to ensure they do well by their loved ones: a lifetime beneficiary trust. You may already be well aware of what estate attorneys call “I love you” wills. You can recognize these wills because they are often short and their hallmark is that the maker of the will leaves everything, outright, to his or her surviving spouse. Hence the “I love you” name: “I love you so much, I’m leaving everything to you.” But this all-too-common approach creates significant risk for beneficiaries and, contrary to their name, is often not the most caring of

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