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Max, a geek genius, has worked for a successful high-tech startup where he received potentially lucrative stock options. His pay day has now arrived: He will get $1,000,000 this year on his stock options. Max consults his tax advisor. First, he learns that his options are “non qualified options” and will be taxed at the […]

Beth has a million dollars and does not have enough money to live on.  She even owns her own house in the Washington DC suburbs and owes nothing on it.  To live in the Washington DC area, you need a minimum of $40,000 for a simple happy retirement lifestyle if you own your own home […]

Toni is selling his Barber Shop in a shopping center located next to a very popular Peruvian chicken restaurant and carry-out.  Toni is nearing retirement and wants to sell.  Toni knows that he has to have a lease for his shop as a condition of any buyer of a hair cut business, which will only […]

With swarms of tax reform proposals flying around Washington  like Harry Potter and his classmates on broomsticks, there are more things to consider when setting up a new company or deciding now to change how your company is taxed. The Trump goal is to kick start the economy and rebuild the manufacturing sector. Businesses that […]

Mary and Fred Jones’ highly rated financial advisor created a comprehensive investment and tax plan for them. They planned to retire soon and wanted to be sure everything in their complicated life was covered. They owned a home, several retirement accounts, a number of investments, other savings and life insurance. They even had a long […]

The world is changing at a dizzy pace. New cell phone apps entice us to get an upgrade every year. What happens in China can now hurt us on Main Street. We used think boys should  stay out of girl’s locker rooms, but now many say that certain boys have a right to shower with the […]

You don’t remember where you put your keys. You go upstairs and don’t remember why you are there when you get there. You went to the grocery store to buy what you need for your favorite chicken soup and forgot to buy the chicken. They say as we get older, our short term memory fades. […]

Change happens. We are all used to computer hardware and software becoming obsolete. No doubt you’ve received many an emailed message that “Microsoft will no longer support version 5.50.” So, when your beloved 5.50 inevitably crashes, no one can help you, and you’ve lost irreplaceable data going back a decade. Women’s hems go up…and down. […]

We all know we are supposed to brush and floss our teeth at least once a day and preferably after each meal. Brushing and flossing is usually not fun. It always seems to take too long when you are trying to race out the door to an appointment. We know when we go to the […]

You were so careful to swerve your car to avoid hitting the mother duck and her seven small furry cutest-ever ducklings crossing the road that you smashed into the SUV coming from the opposite direction. You put the oxygen mask on your son first, but you passed out before you could put on your own […]

Most Americans pass up one of the top benefits of US law for their children or other heirs. They do not leave their property to be inherited in a trust that protects against financial reversals, divorce, legally avoidable taxes and even against the mistakes of their children. Fred & Frita Fail to Protect. Fred and […]

Your smartphone is smarter than you are. You use only five features. There are a dozen more features that came with it, but why bother. Your 15-year old technical advisor has told you that you must “download” dozens of “apps” but you don’t know why you need them or how to use them. Download? What […]

You wouldn’t drive without knowing what a stop light, merge sign, or line stripes on the road meant, right? Those signals are what bring order out of chaos for those of us who travel the highways and byways of this nation—and many others. Those “Rules of the Road” are pretty universal, and mean the same […]

All Estate Plans Need to be Reviewed and Probably changed. Income Taxes are Now More Important than...

Time to Review your estate plan. Because of new tax law effective in 2013, many estate plans are out of date and will cause unnecessary taxes. This is because these plans were designed to save estate taxes. Because of the new law, most people will not pay estate taxes. However, most people’s estates could be […]

Making Tax Saving Gifts, Protecting Assets and Your Personal Rainy Day Fund...

$5,000,000 Exemptions Disappearing Fast. The $5,000,000 exemptions from estate, gift and generation skipping taxes are set to expire by law on December 31, 2012. To prevent this from happening, Congress and the President have to agree to a new law before then. In the heated political debates of a Presidential election year, it looks likely […]

Protecting Your Assets: Part II Virginia APTs; Existing Creditors....

Part II. This is part two of our summary on the new Virginia Asset Protection Trust (APT). See Virginia’s New Asset Protection Trust. In Part I, we discussed the basic requirements for a Virginia Asset Protection Trust under Sections 55-545.03:2 and 55-545.03:3. There are several details which make this Virginia APT very useful: *No Automatic […]