The employer plan would have to be equal to or better than a Guaranteed Retirement Account, with an employer contribution rate of at least 1.5 percent and a total contribution rate of at least 3 percen
EP Wealth's Regional Director, Lea Ann Knight, CFP®, shares practical steps couples can take now to prepare financially and emotionally for the death... EP Wealth's Regional Director, Ryan Caldwell, CFP®, shares a step-by-step approach to managing finances after the death of a spouse or loved one,... Choosing to explore one should be part of a thoughtful, multi-disciplinary process that accounts for legal, financial, and long-term family considerations. Choosing a trustee can directly affect how the trust is viewed in legal proceedings. Relief from financial waste In an uncertain economic climate, your family’s financial security is subject to more risk. The other day I met with a husband, wife, and their adult son to discuss the parents’ estate plan. You may also visit the individual sites for additional information on their data and privacy practices and opt-out options. We strive to provide you with information about retirement income strategies products and services you might find interesting and useful. It is important to work with an experienced trusts lawyer who can take a holistic view of your needs and ensure all legal requirements are met. When you die, the trust assets are passed to the beneficiaries according to the trust’s conditions. Unlike some other trusts, you can continue to use the assets prior to death, including living in the family home. Property, investments and other assets that are placed into the trust stop being part of your legal ownership, and that keeps them safe and out of reach from creditors and other claimants. Trusts for asset protection can protect your assets from creditors and other claims and are an effective way to ensure that wealth stays in the hands of those you intend. Working with an Advisor: A Coordinated Approach In reality, these trusts can be drafted to allow the beneficiary to act as their own trustee once they reach a responsible age. A Lifetime Asset Protection Trust allows parents to dictate multi-generational inheritance instructions, ensuring wealth stays within the family line. Parents can design provisions for special disbursements for important milestones, educational goals, business investments, home purchases or health expenses. The trust creates built-in guardrails by appointing a trustee or co-trustee and outlining responsible distribution standards. Sometimes, adult children are simply not prepared to handle a sudden influx of wealt
Ongoing portfolio management informed by individual goals, risk considerations, and time horizons, with strategies that may adjust as market conditions and personal circumstances change. Planning support for business owners, including strategies related to growth, succession, liquidity events, and personal financial alignment with business-related decisions. Our Valencia team designs personalized portfolios that aim to balance growth potential with risk management, contributing to your financial future goals. Our investment services aim to grow your wealth strategically, aligning with your life goals and risk tolerance. "She and her team have managed my finances in ways that have given me some freedom during crushing times with my ex-husban
A qualified longevity annuity contract (QLAC) is a type of annuity contract specifically designed to keep you from outliving your retirement savings. This breaks down lifetime income versus interest income, and how each fits into real retirement planning. It is guaranteed by contractual terms rather than investment performance. A common misunderstanding is that guaranteed income streams are designed for market growth rather than contractual incom
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Key similarities and differences between revocable and irrevocable trusts If you do not plan to serve as your own trustee, you should consider any fees you might want to pay the trustee and whether those fees would replace fees that you are already paying to manage your assets. This approach will not avoid probate, however, if the trust funding is not completed before you die, because the power of attorney dies with you. However, durable powers of attorney frequently give no direction to your attorney-in-fact regarding your plans for investments, money management or distribution. A durable power of attorney may briefly and generally describe the authority of your attorney-in- fact, or it may specifically itemize, in great detail, the actions that you authorize your attorney-in-fact to take on your behalf. This document appoints another person as your "attorney in fact" to handle your assets. In others, your trustee is authorized to rely on a letter from your physician as proof of your incapacity. What Is a Trust and When Do You Need One for Your Estate Pla