Simple estate planning We all want to keep things simple. What does that mean for your estate planning? What it doesn’t mean is how many pages your planning documents are. “Simple” means how easy to administer and effective your plan is when you need it to work, such as if you become disabled or you die. …
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Giving to Charity Next week I am going on a short vacation. The first few days of my time away from the office will be spent in Whitefish as I tag along with my wife, Rhonda. She will be there along with her colleagues at Special Olympics Montana, and the many volunteers and athletes, as…
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An Overview of the ABLE Act What follows is an abbreviated version of our article that appeared in our firm’s most recent newsletter, the ElderCounselor. Late in 2014, the ABLE (“Achieving a Better Life Experience”) Act was signed into law. The law is aimed at achieving a manner in which those with special needs can save…
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A Time for Gratitude Even for a Norwegian the Christmas holidays are a time of great emotion. For me there’s been: Sorrow – the first Christmas without my mom. Excitement – the first time I ever got everything on my Christmas list (3 books!). Stress – too much going on. But the emotion that shines through is gratitude. Thank you, Becky…
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Planning Checklist For Those Assisting Elderly Family Members I gave a presentation the other night at a local assisted living facility. The topic was powers of attorney and guardianships and conservatorships. Half of the attendees were children of residents at the assisted living facility. Based on the questions that they asked me, it was clear…
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The importance of keeping your documents in order When my mom passed away in June, my sisters handled most of the day-to-day issues, and I went to work handling the legal side of her affairs, as you might guess. Our jobs were not that hard because my mom had a modest estate, and she had…
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A Family Meeting Can Play a Key Role in Your Estate Planning Over the years, both Keith and I have stressed to our clients the importance of communicating your estate plan to your family. Holding a family meeting is a good way to do this. We feel so strongly that a family meeting plays a…
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The Decades of Your Life Birth to 10 This is the time your parents teach you right from wrong, grandparents are buying you everything, parents take you everywhere. They show you off to everyone; they are carrying pictures of you in their wallets, or nowadays on their iPhones. You get the best vacations, go on…
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We’ve Lost Margaret Keith’s mom, Margaret, died last month at the age of 92. Margaret worked in our office for 21 years as Bill Scott’s secretary. She reluctantly retired just a few years ago at age 87. Margaret went back to work at age 63. She hadn’t worked in an office for 30 years. She…
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Recent United States Supreme Court Decision Has Significant Effect on Inherited IRAs In the recent United States Supreme Court decision in Clark vs. Rameker, the Court ruled that inherited IRAs are not “retirement” accounts for purposes of the federal bankruptcy protection statutes. This ruling has a significant effect on IRA planning. As we are all aware,…
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