Partnerships and LLCs allow families to pass on assets such as minority shares in a family business to heirs in a tax-efficient way. It’s a popular estate planning tactic because the transfer of assets deemed illiquid receive a discount on the value of the asset. Here’s how this works. You have a family business and…
On June 29, the American Heart Association recommended the use of a treatment that snatches blood clots from brains for individuals with severe stroke cases. Like using a snake to unclog a pipe, doctors thread a catheter tube through an artery up to the clot that’s blocking oxygen from reaching the brain. A wire mesh…
Most people wouldn’t necessarily think of their 18 year old child as an adult but in the eyes of the law, with few exceptions, he or she is. A handful of states require graduation from high school or reaching 19 years of age. Mississippi doesn’t consider someone fully adult until they reach 21. But everywhere else, including…
I’m dating myself here but I remember a time when getting up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons netted you a screen with the station’s call letters and a piercing sound that could wake your parents up (and thus get you grounded from watching cartoons) if you turned on the television before 8 o’clock. Today…
A 2012 study by Cerulli Associates found that 60 percent of investors either did not know how their advisors got paid or thought that the service they offered was free. In fact, there are at least six ways a financial advisor will charge you fees. They are: As a percentage of your account’s value. One…
If you have a high deductible health plan, you can receive tax-preferred treatment of any money you set aside in a Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to pay for medical costs. HSAs differ from Flexible Spending Arrangements (FSAs) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). (For more on these three types of health spending accounts please see this…
State lawmakers have just a few days left to pass a budget before Washington state will experience a partial shutdown. While there’s only a small chance that such an event will occur, if they can’t reach a compromise by July 1, tens of thousands of state workers will be temporarily furloughed and services to older…
Life doesn’t occur in a bubble. Rarely does a move in one aspect of our lives not affect all the others to some degree or another. Why is it important to consider building strong relationships, creating a purpose for yourself and looking beyond today for your retirement? Because just as staying healthy costs less money…
Here’s a list of long-term effects of laughter. Laughter may: Improve your immune system. Laughter releases neuropeptides which in turn help fight stress and potentially more serious illnesses. Relieve pain. Laughter produces its own natural painkillers and breaks the pain-spasm cycle common to muscle disorders. Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter makes it easier to cope with…
Long Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) are certified as acute care hospitals for patient with serious medical problems that require intense, special treatment usually for more than 25 days. Each year, Medicare sets thresholds for reimbursement for care based on five-sixths of the expected length of stay for a particular diagnosis. The thresholds vary by diagnosis…
We send out email newsletters and announcements monthly about planning for Health, Housing, Finance, and Legal needs for retirement. Would you like to sign up?