Blog

As we talk with clients about estate planning matters, we often hear that the clients’ first priority is to build a secure financial foundation that will support their children for years to come. That is certainly a key goal for most people. But what we hear much less often is a carefully considered plan for making that long-term security a reality.

“Married, with children” isn’t an automatic combination anymore. In fact, even well-to-do persons in long-term, stable marriages—including celebrities like Christopher Walken, Jay Leno, Dolly Parton, and everyone’s favorite Golden Girl, Betty White—have stated publicly that they have never felt the compulsion to bring children into the world.

Do well by doing good

A growing number of individuals and families want to use some of their wealth to support the causes and organizations they care about most.

When Hall of Fame rocker Tom Petty died in October 2017, one week after finishing a highly successful tour, he left an estate worth multiple millions. Not only that, but he actually did what we routinely urge clients to do: he had a will that indicated his wishes for the disposition of his assets and—especially important in his case—his musical and creative legacy.

It was an ideal setup: good for the environment, good for the company, and good for investors. DC Solar, a startup in Martinez, California, projected huge growth in demand for its portable solar power generators, which could be transported to outdoor sporting venues like backcountry four-wheel-drive racing events, cross-country bike rallies, and others.

If you’ve been an evidence-based investor for a while, you know the drill: 

“Suppose that you were an idiot, and suppose that you were a member of Congress … but I repeat myself.” This snarky quote from Mark Twain captures how many Americans feel about our national legislative body, especially given its seeming inability to get beyond partisan bickering and actually pass laws that are good for our country.

When business owners start a new venture or seek out funding, they always create a detailed business plan first. But chances are, most parents have never once thought about creating a similar type of plan for their most important asset: their families.

With all the well-publicized data theft incidents in the news lately, one might think that people would be more vigilant than ever about exposing sensitive personal data on the internet.

Most of us assume that the Internal Revenue Service rarely does us any favors, and that assumption is accurate, most of the time. However, the IRS does, on occasion, forego its “tithe” from funds that would otherwise be subject to either taxation or even an added penalty.