“We’ve never gotten around to it,” “We need to do that,” “That is something we have discussed, but it always gets put off.” These are common responses I hear from families when I ask if they have their estate documents created or updated. It is a common observation...
Getting understanding and clarification from the deceased is somewhat tricky. For more than 25 years, I have been involved in many estate planning situations with varying outcomes. Inevitably, “peaceful and easy” situations shared two common denominators:...
Investments have varying characteristics. The most essential issues are volatility, taxation, and liquidity. Occasionally, assets have to be divided amongst children and spouses in the case of divorce. Picking and choosing assets to be exchanged or delivered to a...
Consider This Program with Aaron Rheaume, CKA, and Grant Soliven, AIF. In this segment we will cover: Coming to the end of your working career can be both exciting and terrifying. How are you going to replace your standard of living without a paycheck? Have you really...
Consider This Program with Joe Clark, CFP and Jamie Burton. In this segment we will cover: Estate planning documents aren't like tax returns; you don't need a history unless you need a history! Knowing why your documents say what they do can help a court or a family...
Consider This Program with Joe Clark, CFP and Dean Huddleston. In this segment we will cover: What is a trust, and do you need one? Those are two frequent questions we get asked when working with families. Trusts are powerful estate documents that help care for you...
Consider This Program with Joe Clark, CFP and Cameron Huddleston with Careful. In this segment we will cover: It was such a pleasure to talk with Cameron Huddleston about her new book, "Mom and Dad, We Need To Talk - How to Have Essential Conversations with Your...
Consider This Program with Joe Clark, CFP and Aaron Rheaume. In this segment we will cover: We all want what is left after we are gone to get to our heirs in the best possible way - least taxes, time, challenges. There are many legal documents you can use, but they...
Estate planning documents address three distinctive periods in your life: average days while you are mentally equipped to make decisions, days when you are mentally or physically incapacitated, and when you are deceased. The key participants in the planning are the...
In this week’s episode, we will cover: • How to bring up end of life planning to your loved ones • Tips for surviving your spouse’s retirement • Considerations for leaving assets behind • What to know about paying off student loans in Indiana
In this week’s episode, we will cover: • How to bring up end of life planning to your loved ones • Tips for surviving your spouse’s retirement • Considerations for leaving assets behind • What to know about paying off student loans in Indiana
Inheriting an IRA is rarely fun. One reason, it means you lost a person who thought enough of you to be a beneficiary. Another, they can also be very confusing. The new tax changes added to the complexity. There are essentially three types of beneficiaries. You can...
On December 20, 2019, a $1.4 trillion spending bill was signed into law in order to keep the government running. Tucked away inside this mammoth piece of legislation was the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. This new law includes...
One of the most important messages we strive to convey to families is that retirement planning is an ongoing journey and not a one-time event. Successful retirement journeys demand a roadmap, complete with milestone markers for predictable occurrences along life’s...
Some say telling only part of the story is a little white lie while others find it to be standard protocol. This article is the second installment in a four-part series of things you will wish you told your financial advisor. Point: little white lies lead to financial...
King Solomon famously wrote, “It is the little foxes that spoil the vine.” In a secular moment, he might have written: “it is the little assets that spoil the estate plan.” More often than not, with careful examination, we uncover forgotten assets in a family’s...
Here is this week’s radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP.
There are five critical areas of finance that we see generate profound happiness or absolute frustration for families. The stress of retirement and when to take Social Security can be overwhelming. The dreaded thought of tax planning before the end of the year let...
Welcome to this week's Consider This with Big Joe Clark radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP. This episode originally aired on September 29, 2018. To find our podcast, check out Consider This Program. In this episode you will find information about: Trusts, QCDs,...
For those with a philanthropic mindset, the ability to share resources with others is simply part of their DNA. Death obviously eliminates the ability to share time and energy with organizations that matter to them but death does not have to stop the financial giving....
There’s a strategic element required for efficient financial planning. Imagine being outside of a barn on a hot Indiana day with a bale of hay. The bale is headed to the top rack in the barn and some would very well waltz right in and throw the hay to the top. Others...
Getting understanding and clarification from the deceased is rather difficult. For more than 25 years, I have been involved in many estate planning situations with varying outcomes. Inevitably, situations that were “peaceful and easy” shared two common denominators:...
The last 31 years of working with families has brought forth some family dynamics that have remained reasonably similar in nature. There are other issues that seem relatively new. We enter many discussions with families about special needs beneficiaries. Whether it...
Welcome to this week's Consider This with Big Joe Clark radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP. This episode originally aired on May 26, 2018. To find our podcast, check out Consider This Program. In this episode you will find information about: Value of the Dollar, Tax...
Well it’s that time again, where many people sit down and decide which New Year’s resolution they will set as the clock strikes midnight to bring us into 2018. According to Google search data pulled by iQuanti, getting healthy and organized are the two most searched...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] A long-held, unfortunate and inaccurate perception is that the U.S has two tax codes - one for the rich and one for...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] After 29 years in the financial industry, I can say with complete confidence that...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] Legendary physicist Albert Einstein described the distinction between information and expertise with the statement,...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] Ben Franklin’s words from more than two centuries ago remind us that, “in this world nothing can be said to be...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] In a world where few topics are off-limits, money remains a sacred subject often deemed “private.” We guard our...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] Coming across unexpected cash in a pair of jeans or finding change in a parking lot is one of life’s little...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] In life and in work, we tend to gravitate toward employing the skills and interests that come to us “naturally”....
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] They say that only death and taxes are assured, but even “sure things” can cause confusion. Since inheriting an IRA...