5 Easy Tips to Simplify Your Charitable Giving

Will you be donating to charities this year? The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reminds us that you must itemize deductions on Schedule A of your tax return to claim a deduction for charitable gifts. We have some tips to ensure your charitable gifts count!
How to Protect Your Family When You and Your Spouse Work in the Same Business

You and your spouse live together, work together, and likely spend a great deal of your free time together. Having a successful marriage and business takes hard work and dedication, but it can also be among the most rewarding things in life. To help keep you on the right track, we have a few tips.
The Lifetime QTIP Trust

Estate planning for couples in a second or subsequent marriage can be tricky, especially if their estates are disproportionate. One solution that allows the more affluent spouse to maintain control of their property and wealth and minimize potential estate taxes—while keeping their spouse happy—is the lifetime qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) trust.
Estate Planning Strategies to Protect Your Spouse

Once you are married, you will be uniquely situated to provide meaningful support for your spouse after your passing through special estate planning tools available only to legally married individuals.
Are You Saving Enough for Retirement?

Retirement is supposed to be a carefree period of enjoyment and fulfillment. However, retirement has become a daunting prospect for many Americans, full of anxiety and financial uncertainty. Longer lives […]
Could a Domestic Asset Protection Trust Be the Right Trust for You?

There are more ways to create wealth today than ever before. Whether you are working a traditional nine-to-five job and investing in the stock market, a full-time investor taking advantage […]
Remember Your First Line of Defense: Insurance

The modern insurance market dates to seventeenth-century London, where merchants reeling from the Great Fire of London started pooling funds to cover fire losses. Today, this same basic concept—pooling risk […]
It’s Planning Season

To have a successful farm, thoughtful planning must be done every season. Your life is no different. To properly prepare for the next season in your life and the lives of your loved ones, you need a well-executed estate plan.
Three Estate Planning Mistakes Farmers and Ranchers Make—and How to Avoid Them

Farming and ranching is more than just a livelihood; it is about preserving a legacy and a way of life. Unfortunately, many farmers and ranchers fail to create a comprehensive estate plan—or any estate plan at all. Without a proper estate plan, the family farm or ranch, passed down for generations, can end up being sold and converted to nonagricultural use, cutting the family’s legacy short and ending their unique lifestyle. Included are three common estate planning mistakes farmers and ranchers make and how to avoid them.
5 Reasons Uncle Bill May Not Make a Good Trustee

If you have created a trust that you intend to last for decades, choosing the right trustee is critical to ensuring the trust’s longevity and ultimate success.