As our struggling economy tries to sputter back to life, we still see its impact on our clients’ families. The stress of the real estate market crash and the wreckage of the lingering recession has left deep financial scars. There is still a desire by better off (note, not well off) grandparents and parents to… Read More »
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Should Granddad Still Keep His Guns?
Convincing a client’s elderly parent or grandparent with eyesight problems that it’s time to turn over the car keys can lead to family squabbles. The elder, who has driven for decades, can resent the loss of independence that giving up the keys represents. Now try to take away his guns — and any fight over… Read More »
Boomers Look to Retirement Coaches
From hippies to corporate titans, the Baby Boomers took America by storm, the size of their numbers and the force of their convictions shaping our nation in ways small and large. But now the first wave is at retirement age, and for the first time in their lives they are adrift, unsure of themselves when… Read More »
Gambling Addiction Hits Seniors Hard
For seniors, financial pitfalls come in many forms: Ponzi schemes, Internet scams, a relative who takes advantage of them. But many also see their life savings slip away— and into casino coffers — because of their own actions. The AARP cites studies that estimate Americans lost $100 billion gambling in 2008 alone and that 4… Read More »
Bond Market Worries Strategists
Bond. James Bond. If your clients had invested in the latest installment of the James Bond series, the $1 billion-plus grossing “Skyfall,” they would have a much better return on their investment than what they’ll get in the U.S. bond market this year. That’s the word from investment analysts (without the James Bond reference), so… Read More »
New Tax Laws Explained
When Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act in the first week of January — averting the so-called fiscal cliff — it made permanent the previous two years’ exclusions on estate and gift taxes. And those exclusions have been adjusted for inflation. As reported by Bloomberg, this means… Read More »
Help Protect Your Senior Clients from Being Targeted by Scam Artists
The numbers are staggering. A recent survey by the Investor Protection Trust finds that one out of every five Americans 65 years old or older — or more than 7 million people — have been the victim of a financial scam. The Washington Post recently told the story of one of those victims, 73-year-old retired… Read More »
Help Clients Prevent Alzheimer’s from Destroying a Family’s Financial Future
Alzheimer’s disease, and the demands it places on a caregiver’s time and energy, can devastate a family’s emotional resources. It can devastate the family’s bank account, too. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.4 million Americans are living with it, and one in eight older Americans is afflicted with the progressive, incurable disease. The association says… Read More »
Deadline Looming on Gift-Tax Rules
Time is running out for your wealthy clients to take advantage of the generous 2010 tax laws that lowered gift tax exemption amounts and tax rates. Currently, lifetime gift-tax exemptions are at $5 million per individual and $10 million for married couples — but those limits are set to dwindle dramatically to $1 million for… Read More »
Should Your Clients Consider Giving Away Property Over Cash?
It’s decision time for clients who want to take advantage of the $5.12 million gift tax exemption that expires at the end of this year. While cash is the most direct way to pass wealth to heirs, your clients might need that money at some point. If they’ve already given it away, it’s not very… Read More »