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Family Day is always a time of reflection for me. It was eight years ago around this time of year that I lost my husband, far too early. It was a devastating time, both emotionally and also practically, as I dealt with the implications of his death on my financial future. I wrote about that... Keep Reading "Make Family Day more meaningful than a long weekend" >

  There comes a point when adult children should be asking certain questions of their parents to ensure that their financial affairs are in order. As parents age, achieving financial independence for retirement is a primary objective and effective planning should start well ahead of time. ... Keep Reading "How to talk to aging parents about their financial affairs" >

In my insurance practice, I am meeting more and more baby boomers with the same predicament: they have a life insurance policy they no longer need, that has no cash value and annual premiums that are getting more and more expensive.  It becomes a source of irritation to see cash going out the ... Keep Reading "Found money: How to unlock value from an old insurance policy" >

A guest blog by Dr. Julie A. Morton. Provocative new research at the University of California, Berkley, suggests that those of means ARE different from their more humble brethren, and NOT in ways that would make one proud. According to studies conducted by social psychologist Paul Piff and his ... Keep Reading "Does wealth breed selfishness?" >

My partner, Kelly Willis, wrote a poignant post last week about the loss of her husband and the estate challenges she found in her path, all during a time she struggled with her bereavement. As a private client lawyer with many years of estate planning under my belt, I wanted to share some of ... Keep Reading "5 things to know when developing your estate plan" >

My husband passed away a year ago last month.  We ought to have been prepared.  Two years earlier he had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer for which there was “little predictive data”. We chose to be optimistic. When he died due to complications from surgery I was shocked and ... Keep Reading "Bereavement is bad enough" >