The New Question Wealthy Families Are Asking
A significant amount of new wealth has been created over the last few years, and that trend is likely to continue. Some of it will come from business sales, some from stock compensation, and some from liquidity events that transform years of accumulated paper wealth into real wealth. When that happens, most families instinctively focus […]
Is Social Security Running Out?
Social Security’s trustees moved up their projection again this year: the trust fund that pays retirement benefits is now expected to run dry in late 2032, a full year earlier than last year’s estimate. On a combined basis with the disability fund, insolvency arrives in 2034. This sounds like a countdown to zero, but it isn’t. Here is […]
Inheritance: Preserving Both Wealth and Ambition
Wealth carries a quiet paradox. The inheritance meant to open every door can just as easily close the one that matters most – the drive to build something of your own. Parents and grandparents often worry that an unearned windfall will leave their children and grandchildren with less drive. Warren Buffett framed the goal as […]
Why Blended Families Should Pay Special Attention to Estate Planning
Roughly forty percent of American families today are blended, yet most estate plans are still built as if the household has one set of parents and one set of children. Introduce children from a prior marriage, a current spouse, and sometimes children shared between them, and the standard “everything to my spouse, then to the kids” […]
Our Taxpaying ‘Golden Hour’ Won’t Last: These 4 Urgent Moves Can Help Insulate Your Wealth Before It’s Too Late
As posted by Kiplinger For most Americans, the weeks and months following Tax Day are characterized by a collective sigh of relief. Returns are submitted, checks are cut, and paperwork is filed away for another year. This year, complacency is a risk you can’t afford. As a wealth planner, I view our current environment as […]
Probate Isn’t the Villain: The Real Estate Planning Risks Hiding in Plain Sight
The general consensus in wealth management is that probate should be avoided, but the reality is more complicated. Probate can be genuinely painful: public, slow, costly, and emotionally draining in the wrong jurisdiction with the wrong asset mix. Massachusetts and New York have reputations for being formal and expensive for a reason. But avoiding probate has been oversold […]
What to do with an Existing Permanent Life Insurance Policy
The decision of what to do with a permanent life insurance policy – such as a whole life or universal life policy – at the point of retirement is often treated as a binary choice: keep paying the premiums or surrender the policy and walk away. However, for most high-net-worth families, treating a permanent policy […]
A New Chapter for the 401(k): Access to Private Markets
U.S. retirement plans hold roughly $13.8 trillion in assets, with 401(k)s alone accounting for an estimated $8.7 trillion. For decades, that money has been almost entirely confined to public markets. That may be changing. Last August, President Trump signed Executive Order 14330, “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors.” The order directs the Department of Labor and SEC to clear regulatory […]
Gaps in Otherwise Good Estate Plans: Why Documents Are Only Half the Battle
Lately, a troubling pattern has surfaced in even the most carefully constructed estate plans. The work looks excellent on paper because competent attorneys drafted the documents, and specialized CPAs handled the tax compliance. Sophisticated structures were put in place, and on the surface, everyone feels protected. Look closer…and the loose ends start to show. Document creation is […]
The 2026 Property Tax Squeeze: Drivers and Mitigation Strategies
If you opened your latest property tax assessment with a wince, you are far from alone. Recent industry data suggests that nearly two-thirds of U.S. property owners were caught off guard by their most recent bills, and the increases are running well ahead of broader inflation. The good news is that property taxes, unlike many fixed costs, […]
Why Now May Be the Time to Lock in Today’s Tax Rates
April 15th has come and gone. For most taxpayers, the instinct is to file the return, pay the liability, and put taxes out of mind for another year. However, there is something worth thinking about before you do. We are currently living through a period of low tax rates, expanded deductions, and a diminished IRS: a window […]
Reduce the Risk of Retiring at the Wrong Time
Retiring this year? There is something worth thinking about before you circle that date on the calendar. Consider a scenario where the Iran conflict or other geopolitical events plunge your portfolio into a bear market for the next few years…. Just as you’ve stopped earning income, you could be withdrawing from your investment portfolio at depressed prices. […]