Congrats on the purchase of your new digs! Whether this is your first home, or you’re moving up, downsizing, or making a change, buying a home is a significant milestone. When major life events occur, it’s important to take some time to ensure your plans for the future are aligned with your current estate plan, or…
Continue reading…Category: Basic Estate Planning
Do I Need a Will or a Trust? (4 Options to Avoid Court)
My best friend (who is a legit big deal in the world of international finance), texted me the other day: “Hey! What do I need, a Will or a Trust?” Did you know that simply having a Last Will and Testament (“Will”) likely ends up with your estate being handled by a Court? (She did…
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How Much Does an Estate Plan Cost???
How Much is a Living Trust? How Much is a Will? How Much does an Estate Plan run? We get a variations of this question – a lot. As much as we’d love to give you a simple answer, our response is the typical “lawyer” answer: “It depends…”. We can’t tell you without talking to you about…
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The 3 Types of Lawyers to Consider for Your Estate Planning…
In today’s complex legal environment, it’s important to understand that all lawyers do not specialize (or even practice) in all of the various areas of the law! When it comes to estate planning, it’s important to understand how “specialized” your legal representation is when handling your family + legacy. This week, I break down the (3)…
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NEW SERIES! Are your gifts causing more harm than good? When generosity backfires…
As an estate planner, I deal with lots of generous, kind folks with very big hearts (and sometimes, big wallets to match). That’s not always the case- sometimes clients have a more modest estate that belies their generous spirits. In this series, I’m offering a weekly Q&A to outlines some mistakes I’ve seen my generous clients…
Continue reading…Phillips Ballenger’s Action Plan in Response to COVID-19
Dear Clients & Friends, We write to you today to update you with Phillip Ballenger’s action plan in light of the escalating spread of the novel Coronavirus. This situation is new & unique to all of us – our core values have guided us to the following decisions regarding how Phillips Ballenger will operate for…
Continue reading…Coronavirus Legal Advice: Get Your Business and Estate in Order Now
By H. Dennis Beaver for Kiplinger Click here to learn more and read more articles from the author. Estate planning attorneys are getting mobbed with questions. So, here is some timely advice from three attorneys on what families and business owners should be doing to prepare in case the unimaginable happens. The stock market has…
Continue reading…Guest Blog- Veterans’ Benefits Overview
Using Benefits, Managing Money: Financial Planning Information for Senior Veterans From deciding where to live to accessing healthcare, senior veterans have benefits and obstacles that many of the rest of us don’t. The trick is knowing how to navigate the good and the bad. Senior veterans have problems and advantages that are generally unfamiliar to…
Continue reading…Don’t fall into the trap of a “Quick” and “Simple” Estate Plan!
Beware of “Simple” Estate Plans “I just need a simple will.” It’s a phrase estate planning attorney hear practically every other day. From the client’s perspective, there’s no reason to do anything complicated, especially if it might lead to higher legal fees. Unfortunately, what may appear to be a “simple” estate is all too often…
Continue reading…Student Loan Debt: The Albatross of the Average College Student
Have you ever heard someone say that the best thing about an education is that nobody can take it away from you? As true as this statement is on its own, it is completely ignoring the fact that the very same irrevocable education can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars – plus interest. As of…
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