How to Use a Crisis to Help Your Parents
You’ve tried everything to get your parents to plan for aging, but they still won’t do it. You want them to finish their estate plan, give you a copy of their durable power of attorney, discuss end of life wishes, tell you what kind of funeral services they want, and ask where all the important […]
Write Your Own Obituary to Live Your Ideal Life
When my uncle died while I was in high school, I remember family and friends dividing tasks for my aunt. One of the tasks, writing an obituary, became a team effort. While someone took the lead, multiple eyes read it before it was finished — each person adding or subtracting a few words. There are […]
End of Life Lessons from My Mom
Elliott’s Note: After writing 9 Lessons I’ve Learned About Death and Money when my dad died, a reader said they would be curious to read an article from my mom’s perspective. They were interested in learning what would overlap and what would be distinct from a different generation. I asked my mom if she wanted […]
9 Lessons I’ve Learned About Death and Money
My dad died in July of 2023. These are the 9 lessons I learned about death and money during his 7 year battle with Stage IV Lung Cancer, increased cognitive impairment, relapse after 20 plus years of being sober, his death, and life post-death. As a financial planner, I’m privileged to be alongside people as […]
27 Retirement Planning Mistakes People Make That You May Regret
Retirement is an exciting milestone! Many look forward to it, eager to experience weeks without work and time to do as they please. They’ve worked decades, and now, want to enjoy the fruits of their labor. You get one opportunity to retire well. If you don’t, you may need to head back to work. These […]
How to Create a Digital Estate Plan – 3 Steps You Can Take
Let’s run through a scenario: you are driving home tomorrow and are hit by a reckless driver. You die on the spot. What happens to your digital assets? Do you have a digital estate plan? How do your family or friends access it? I’ve helped people pick up the pieces after a death and know […]
What is Life Planning?
Does it ever feel like your money is disconnected from your ideal life and what you value? In my experience, our money is often put on autopilot, which can be a good thing to a certain extent, but if you never come back to what your money can do for you, you may be missing […]
What Is It Like Working With a Virtual Financial Planner?
What is it like working with a virtual financial planner? For many people, it can be a new experience. They may be used to going into their financial planner’s downtown office, in a crowded city, with cramped parking, and rush hour traffic. The office may be a little too sterile or fancy, devoid of any […]
How to Optimize Social Security Survivor Benefits as a Widow
Deciding how to claim Social Security survivor benefits as a widow could be a decision worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Deciding how to claim Social Security survivor benefits, while trying to navigate everything else when your loved one dies, is not a straightforward decision. Optimizing Social Security benefits requires you to consider your life […]
Is Long-Term Care Insurance Worth It?
How to plan for long-term care and whether to purchase long-term care insurance is a difficult decision. Most people never plan on living years or decades with health issues, but it is becoming more common, which makes planning for long-term care important. How will you pay for care? Which assets will you use? Do you […]
