The fourth quarter of the year is when life insurance sales kick into high gear. In many cases, life insurance is often sold as a tax savings plan, here are the questions you must ask before purchasing this important asset. The majority of this discussion involves the use of some form of “whole life” insurance […]
When An Estate Plan Isn’t Asset Protection
In a previous post I shared the details of the incomplete (if not financially fatal) advice one physician got from a source with questionable experience. That advice involved some common misconceptions among lay people and advisors about very basic legal and risk management concepts. Understand the REAL Role of Your Estate Planning For the most successful and/or […]
IRA Creditor Protection Issues – Asset Protection
Although IRA asset protection is provided by law to most personally owned and funded IRA accounts there are several other important asset-protection issues doctors, business owners, and other successful individuals need to consider. The (very) general rules of thumb about IRAs: For the purposes of brevity in the context of this column, in most cases, your […]
Estate Planning FAIL: Trusts Without Pour-Over Wills
This is the first article in a new series by Probate Litigation attorney Robert Sewell which will focus on “war stories” regarding common estate planning mistakes, as seen by a probate and trust litigator. These stories are meant to serve as lessons for the average reader. If you see the fact pattern below in your estate plan, […]
What’s the Difference Between a Will and a Trust and Which one Do I Need?
An estate plan is always necessary unless you want your estate to pass through “operation of law” which involves the long, uncertain, public and expensive process at your death with a stranger (the courts) deciding who gets everything you leave behind. This process often leads to heartache, delay and additional stress for those you leave […]
What is an ILIT or Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust ? (and why should doctors and business owners use it)
We’ve previously devoted a number of discussions to the use of life insurance by physicians and business owners including a look at how to buy insurance and discussions of its specific uses and how much life insurance a doctor and his or her spouse should have. This week we take an introductory look at a […]
Arizona Asset Protection Attorneys Featured at 17th Annual Wealth Protection Conference, May 2014
Attorneys Charlie Davis and Ike Devji will be speaking at the 17th Annual Wealth Protection Conference on May 9 and 10 in Mesa Arizona. Topics covered at the conference will include: How To Protect Your Assets For Generations, How to Safely and Legally Use Offshore Trusts and Banks, Common Fatal Flaws and Misconceptions That Cost […]
Estate Planning, Sugar Daddies and Lawsuits, Oh My
Given the current and often predatory nature of modern personal relationships I thought this piece by my friend and colleague Robert Sewell of Davis Miles McGuire Gardner was interesting and timely, to say the least. Bob practices heavily in the area of probate litigation, which is where late or poorly drafted estate plans end-up, usually […]
Common Mistakes Some Smart Women Still Make With Money, Estate and Legal Planning
I’m fortunate to deal with a number of successful women across the U.S. Whether they are C.E.O.s, doctors, some other kind of professional or business owner or simply the stay at home family C.E.O. that helps manage the family’s wealth and success. Over the last ten we’ve seen both positive and negative behavior patterns among different […]
LIfe Insurance for Doctors and Business Owners – Key Due Dilligence Questions for Buyers
The last two weeks of the year is high selling season for life insurance polices as doctors rush to fund various retirement plans and as advisers take advantage of year-end wealth-transfer opportunities and favorable deals sometimes available from insurance companies. Knowing the right questions to ask about an insurance policy is a key issue for […]
