Estate Planning: The Rules Change Again

Estate Planning: The Rules Change Again The federal government isn’t making it easy for Americans to feel confident about their estate plans. In the past four years, the estate tax exemption has performed a jitterbug — jumping from $2 million with a 45% top tax rate in 2008, disappearing completely in 2010, and ratcheting up [...]

Essential Financial Planning for Returning or Deploying Military Personnel and their Families

Essential Financial Planning for Returning or Deploying Military Personnel and their Families As the United States goes into its ninth year of military action in Afghanistan and Iraq, financial planning for military personnel and their families has taken on unprecedented importance. Multiple deployments during the longest wartime period of U.S. history has added considerable strain [...]

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation

I spent some time today down at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation learning about what they do and how they have helped and continue to help Grand Rapids and the Heartside area.  They are nearing 90 years of service to Grand Rapids and have helped with many of the projects and people you see there [...]

Financial Issues for Long-Distance Caregivers

Financial Issues for Long-Distance Caregivers As older friends and relatives increasingly need our help, it’s not always possible for us to move back to personally oversee their care. The same goes for younger loved ones who face sudden illness or injury that robs them of their ability to care for themselves. How can we best [...]

Ways to Control What You’ll Spend on a Funeral

Ways to Control What You’ll Spend on a Funeral It doesn’t matter whether a loved one dies suddenly or with warning – funeral costs can be daunting. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, which bills itself as the world’s leading funeral service association, the average cost of an adult funeral in 2010 stood at [...]

Ten Things to Know – and Ask — About Long-Term Care Insurance

Ten Things to Know – and Ask — About Long-Term Care Insurance For Americans over the age of 50, the time to consider long-term care coverage is now. Whether to buy it is a separate question that’s as individual as you are. Long-term care insurance (LTC) is generally recommended to anyone who has suitable income [...]

The Need for Financial Planning for Special-Needs Kids

There are many types of financial worries, but probably none as relentless as the costs of treating and supporting a special needs child. A 2008 MassMutual/Easter Seals study focusing on autism spectrum disorders (ASD),  a range of conditions that can lead to problems with socialization, communication and behavior, discovered the following: Nearly three-fourths of parents [...]

A Family Mission Statement Can Help Any Family Manage Assets, Philanthropy and Direction

A Family Mission Statement Can Help Any Family Manage Assets, Philanthropy and Direction A family doesn’t need a surname like Vanderbilt to benefit from a family mission statement.  A mission statement is a collaborative document created by one or more generations of family so standards and goals can be set for the handling of all [...]