Blog Posts

By Marc Shaffer

A UTMA could be a beneficial choice for your family if you have children or grandchildren. Often, adults open these accounts for minors for future education needs, but they are not strictly for education funding purposes. I have friends who have used their UTMA accounts for a down payment on a home, to fund an overseas adoption, and to open a business. Not only did they provide them with funds, but they were also a learning opportunity. Most of these friends had to manage their accounts from the time they were no longer a minor to the time the funds were used. The account became their responsibility to oversee and manage for their future.

By Marc C. Shaffer

Promptings is a book by Kody Bateman, the founder of a company called SendOutCards. The book’s main premise is to act on impulses as a way to avoid regrets and to create opportunities. So many people have promptings but seldom follow up on them. Some examples of these promptings may be: telling someone you love them, visiting a relative that is sick in the hospital, sending a personal note of gratitude, taking a break, slowing down enough to be thankful. The author founded SendOutCards as a way for many to act on their promptings by making it easy to send greetings cards and gifts to family and friends, building relationships and forging bonds.

By Jessica Searcy Kmetty

Medical coverage is a big deal in the special needs community. Many of my friends and neighbors spend excessive amounts of money on special needs private schools, therapies, and professional evaluations. However, I’ve come across a number of families who are unaware of, or know little about, medical tax deductions.

By John C. Fales

Should we include our children in conversations about inheritance, our net worth and our estate plan?

Should we be gifting assets to our children along the way or should we control the money until it transfers to them upon death?

How do we teach our children and grandchildren to be smart with money?

When an individual or couple has more than enough assets to meet their personal needs, thoughts often turn to how best to provide for and transfer wealth to the next generations.

By John Fales and Marc Shaffer

The concept of a “perfect time” to do things is one that is both not quite realistic yet incredibly understandable. One that is often talked about and pushed off to another, better time is having a baby. Not quite realistic because there will always be something or other standing in your way, yet incredibly understandable because of the myriad tasks that would be helpful to complete before starting a family. There may never be a perfect time to start a family, but no matter where you are in your journey, there are some common considerations for your financial planning.