Blog
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Own a Business? Do This By December 31st to Get a Year-Long Extension To The Corporate Transparency Act Reporting Deadline
Business ownership is a fulfilling and exciting endeavor, but it also comes with rules, responsibilities, and reporting requirements that can be hard to track. If you own a small business or have a Trust that owns a business interest, you’ll
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What You Must Know About Your Right to Your Spouse’s Retirement Benefits
If you’re part of a blended family (meaning you are married with children from a prior marriage in the mix), you’re no stranger to the extra considerations and planning it takes to keep your family’s life running smoothly – from
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How to Talk Money With Your Family Over The Holidays
The holidays are right around the corner, which means more time to gather with family and relatives than any other time of the year. If you’ve been meaning to talk to your family about money, inheritance, end-of-life decisions, estate planning,
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The Scary Truth: Naming Godparents Does Not Create Legal Guardians
As a parent, your top priority is the well-being and future of your children. You plan for their education, health, and happiness, and often this planning includes the tradition of choosing godparents to guide and mentor your children if something
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Transition to Adulthood: What Happens Legally When My Child Turns 18?
Soon after the challenges of puberty and the excitement of high school, an even larger milestone looms: the 18th birthday. It marks your child’s transition from childhood to adulthood, and with it new responsibilities and rights. From a legal standpoint,
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Year-End Tax Planning Starts Now: 8 Things To Do Now to Lower Your 2023 Taxes – Part 2
Last week we looked at four different ways to lower your tax liability for 2023, from adjusting your tax withholding to strategically planning your medical procedures. In this week’s blog, we discuss four more tax-saving methods you can use right
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Year-End Tax Planning Starts Now: 8 Things To Do Now to Lower Your 2023 Taxes – Part 1
It might seem a bit early to think about your 2023 taxes, but as the year draws to a close, it's the perfect time to take a closer look at your financial situation and make some strategic moves that can
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Mastering Time Management: 4 Effective Strategies for Busy Entrepreneurs – Part 2
If you’re like many business owners, you probably feel like there isn’t enough time in the day for everything you need to do, let alone everything else you’d like to do. But it doesn’t need to be that way. Last week
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Flu Season Fundamentals: How to Keep Seniors Safe This Fall
The fall season is a beautiful time of year, but it also marks the beginning of flu season, which can pose a serious threat to your elderly loved ones. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to ensure their
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Mastering Time Management: 4 Effective Strategies for Busy Entrepreneurs – Part 1
Time is your most valuable resource, and how you manage it can significantly impact the success of your business and your personal well-being. But finding effective ways to organize your schedule and manage your team can feel like a time-consuming
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SECURE 2.0 Act How It Affects You and Your Retirement Account Benefits
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement 2.0 Act (SECURE 2.0 Act). The previous SECURE Act in 2020 made several changes to retirement planning: It increased the required beginning date (RBD) for
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Got Minor Kids? 3 Instances When Your Estate Plan Must Include A Kids Protection Plan®
As a parent, you have probably thought about the importance of naming permanent legal guardians for your child in case something happens to you, and maybe you have already done it. If you haven’t yet, take this as the sign
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Understanding Business Interruption Insurance
As a business owner, you may be familiar with the need for liability insurance to protect yourself and your business from lawsuits caused by injuries or accidents. But how do you protect your business’s income from outside forces that affect
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From ‘I Do’ to ‘What If’: Estate Planning Must-Do’s for Newlyweds – Part 2
Getting married and starting a new chapter in your life is an exciting time. It’s also a time that requires a lot of housekeeping such as updating your address if your marriage includes a move, changing your tax filing status
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From ‘I Do’ to ‘What If’: Estate Planning Must-Do’s for Newlyweds – Part 1
Wedding season is winding down, and if you are a newlywed or are planning to tie the knot soon, it’s time to make your first legal move as a married couple – creating an estate plan. With all the joy
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Would Your Business Pass Our 20-Point LIFT Business Assessment?
As a business owner, it's crucial to regularly assess and improve various aspects of your business to ensure its long-term success and protect your assets. But most entrepreneurs struggle to find the time to review their systems and most don’t
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You Have IP! Be Sure Not to Lose It … Here’s How
You don’t have to own a large company to own intellectual property. If your business creates inventions, written and artistic works, designs, logos, brand names, and images, you almost certainly have intellectual property. However, because intellectual property is intangible, it’s
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Got Intellectual Property? Include It In Your Estate Plan
You don’t have to be a famous producer or household name to own intellectual property. If you create music, own a business, write stories, or build gadgets in your garage, you almost certainly have intellectual property. However, because intellectual property
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Help Your Parents Avoid These New Financial Scams – Part 2
In part one of this series, we explored two popular scams that are targeting older adults this year: the grandparent scam, and cryptocurrency pickpocketing. In this week’s blog, I’m sharing two more scams that you and your parents need to
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Paying It Forward: How to Build Your Legacy Through Mentorship
As a business owner, it can be easy to see an opportunity to mentor a young professional as a purely charitable experience. But mentorship can play a pivotal role in shaping your legacy when you approach it with the right
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AARP and The Red Cross Celebrate Make-A-Will Month, But Here’s What They Didn’t Tell You
AARP and The Red Cross Celebrate Make-A-Will Month, But Here’s What They Didn’t Tell You August is National Make-A-Will Month and you may have received an advertisement in your inbox or mailbox from AARP or the American Red Cross reminding you
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Help Your Parents Avoid These New Financial Scams
Help Your Parents Avoid These New Financial Scams - Part 1 Fraudsters and scam artists are nothing new, but changing tools and technology are making it easier than ever for scammers to target their victims, especially seniors. To protect your ageing
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Can You Rely on Legal Insurance for Your Estate Plan?
As the need for affordable legal services becomes even more important in today’s world, it's common to opt for group legal insurance offered through your workplace benefits. These group insurance plans provide free legal assistance for a variety of needs
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Don’t Send Your Kids Back to School Without These Documents
As summer comes to a close, and back-to-school excitement fills the air, there is one crucial task that is often overlooked: designating legal guardians for your minor children. Legal guardians are the individuals you entrust with the care of your
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4 Ways to Use AI to Make Life Easier for You and Your Family
Whether you’re turning on the news or scrolling through Instagram, it’s hard not to hear about AI technology, so this week I wanted to take some time to cover what the buzz is about and how you can use this
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Before You Agree to Be a Trustee, Read This!
Before You Agree to Be a Trustee, Read This! Being asked by a loved one to serve as Trustee for their Trust upon their death can be quite an honor, but it’s also a significant responsibility—and the role is not for
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HOW AN ESTATE PLAN CAN PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS & FAMILY
You’ve most likely dedicated significant time and energy to creating a vision for your business, executing that vision, and even writing up a detailed business plan for the growth of your business. Yet far fewer business owners put the same
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How Estate Planning Can Bring Blended Families Closer
Yours, mine, and ours… in today’s modern family, it’s oh so common. The blended family is the product of 2nd (or more) marriages, in which one or more of the parties comes with children from a prior marriage. And then,
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6 Cases When a Trust is Better Than a Will in Georgia
A will is one of the most basic Georgia estate planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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I Don’t Have Kids, So Why Do I Need Estate Planning? Part 2
Last week, we shared the first part of our series on the importance of estate planning for those without children. If you haven’t read it yet, you can do so here. Here in part two, we discuss the other risks
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House Democrats Propose Sweeping New Changes To Tax Laws That Stand To Have Major Impact On Estate Planning—Part 1
On September 13, 2021, Democrats in the House of Representatives released a new $3.5 trillion proposed spending plan that includes a wide array of changes to federal tax laws. Specifically, the Democrats have proposed a number of significant tax increases
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10 Common Errors When Naming Life Insurance Beneficiaries That Will Hurt the People You Love – and How to Fix Them
If you make a mistake in naming beneficiaries for your life insurance policy, the people you love will end up being hurt. Insure.com recently provided a list of the 10 life insurance beneficiary mistakes to avoid. We elaborate on how
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Inspiring Conversations with Amber Saunders of The Saunders Firm
Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Saunders. Hi Amber, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?I’ve always wanted to be an attorney and eventually start my
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Give Yourself Some Grace
Give yourself some grace — You are going to screw up. Maybe not in a room full of people, but you will make a mistake at some point. Don’t hold on to it. Don’t worry about what anyone has to say. Own
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Business Radio X Podcast
As is a highly regarded attorney whose mission is to enhance the lives of families by securing their futures tomorrow, it took personal loss to underscore the importance of estate planning to Amber Saunders. Since that point, she has tirelessly dedicated herself
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5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer
Give yourself some grace — You are going to screw up. Maybe not in a room full of people, but you will make a mistake at some point. Don’t hold on to it. Don’t worry about what anyone has to
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Podcast: Raising the Bar in Business Law & Business Planning
As is a highly regarded attorney whose mission is to enhance the lives of families by securing their futures tomorrow, it took personal loss to underscore the importance of estate planning to Amber Saunders. Since that point, she has tirelessly
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I Don’t Have Kids, So Why Do I Need Estate Planning? Part 1
It’s a common misconception to think that if you don’t have children, you don’t need to worry about estate planning. But the fact is, it can be even MORE important to do estate planning if you have no children. Some of
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Why We Are Team #FREEBRITNEY – The Britney Spears Conservatorship
Timeline of Events 2008, Spears enters court-approved conservatorship after several breakdowns and a few rehab visitsBetween 2009-2018 the court repeatedly extended the conservatorship was2019 Jamie (father) requested to have conservatorship extended in more states2019 Jamie (father) steps downApril 2019, Spears completes
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Parents Fear Inheritances Will Do More Harm Than Good
Survey Finds Wealthy Parents Fear Inheritances Will Do More Harm Than Good A survey released by Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group -- How Much Should I Give to My Family? -- shows that the #1 concern of wealthy parents
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What A Will Won’t Do
There are a number of essential things a last will and testament can do for you, such as distribute family heirlooms and name a guardian for minor children, but there are some equally important things a will won’t do: Reduce Estate
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3 Key Benefits of Conscious Uncoupling
The concept of conscious uncoupling, or conscious divorce, has been around for decades in the psychotherapy community. However, the actual term “conscious uncoupling” was thrust into the mainstream lexicon in 2014, when Gwyneth Paltrow used it to publicly announce that
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Congratulations! It’s an Estate Plan! Protecting Your Newborn From Birth
#trus Unfortunately, one of the most important things you can do to protect your child is often overlooked: an estate plan. Here are five important considerations you need to discuss with your Personal Family Lawyer® when setting up an estate plan
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Another Actor’s Estate Plan Screwed Up By His Lawyer
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s will has been filed for probate and provides a cautionary tale when it comes to estate planning mistakes. Here are four things he could have done to correct them: Create a Revocable Living Trust. Hoffman was a
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4 Critical Tasks to Complete Before You Go On Vacation
4 Critical Estate Planning Tasks to Complete Before Going on Vacation Going on vacation entails lots of planning: packing luggage, buying plane tickets, making hotel reservations, and confirming rental vehicles. But one thing many people forget to do is plan for
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Holiday Bonus + Tax Refund Spending
Holiday Bonus + Tax Refund Spending: Where to Put it For Max Return Will you get a holiday bonus from your employer? Or maybe you have a tax refund coming. If so, do you have any of it left, have you
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Can I Benefit from a Reverse Mortgage?
It seems that we can’t turn on the television or radio without hearing an ad for a “reverse mortgage.” So what is a reverse mortgage exactly, and who can benefit from using one? A reverse mortgage is a type of loan
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A Duty Checklist for Trustees of a Trust
It’s no misnomer that a position with so much responsibility carries the name “trustee”. After all, you have been entrusted with a solemn responsibility and you no doubt want to do the best possible job. Here are 10 things to do
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6 Tax Questions to Ask Before Year-End
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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Special Needs Trust: Protection for Those Who Need It the Most
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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Windsor Ruling Expands Estate Planning Prospects for Married Same-Sex Couples
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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7 Good Reasons You Need an Estate Plan – Even If You Only Have $500 in the Bank
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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How to Ensure Your Life Insurance Benefits Go to Your Heirs
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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5 Steps to Fix Your Battered Retirement Plan
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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10 Common Errors When Naming Life Insurance Beneficiaries That Will Hurt the People You Love – and How to Fix Them
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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How to Avoid Family Conflict When Making an Estate Plan
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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How Much Do You Charge for a Will?
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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6 Cases When a Trust is Better Than a Will in Atlanta, GA
A will is one of the most basic estates planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to your assets and kids if something happens to you. But
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5 Key Decisions to Make With Your Spouse Before You Retire
Retirement decision-making for boomers is very different than it was for our parents, when it was usually just one spouse (Dad) who retired, with Mom sometimes reminding him that, “I married you for better or worse, but not for lunch!” Now
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How to Avoid Family Conflict When Making an Estate Plan
Unfortunately, money has a habit of bringing out the worst in people, even in the best of families. One of the most important reasons to get your [city/state] estate plan handled is to keep your family out of conflict. And,