Purpose Drives Financial & Life Satisfaction
Do you desire to be rich? The word “rich” can be defined as possessing great material wealth, and it can also be defined as that which is “abundant, meaningful, and significant.” Therefore, what kind of wealth do you desire the most? Do you want to experience a life of riches or a rich life? [...]
Defining Your Legacy of Values
How do middle-age and older adults currently define “leaving a legacy”? This was the central question of a recent study that examined the attitudes, hopes, and concerns of baby boomers and their elders (Allianz American Legacies Pulse Survey, 2012). A key finding was that these two generations view legacies as being much more than [...]
The Questions We Ask Ourselves
Most of us realize how important questions are in our daily interactions—it seems we are continually either asking a question or responding to a question. But, what we are less aware of are the questions that we continually ask ourselves. Our internal dialogue exists so automatically that we are barely aware it is happening. [...]
The Essence of Real Wealth
It is important to keep in mind that cultural messages can have a profound influence on your financial attitudes and behaviors. Intellectually you can disagree, but emotionally those money myths can have a profound influence on the level of financial success and life satisfaction that you experience. In Think Again: New Money Choices, Old [...]
Saying “Yes” to Your Priorities
Life satisfaction means different things to different people—each person’s definition is unique. That is because life is multifaceted, and each facet contributes to the quality of life we experience as individuals. However, bringing balance to a busy personal and professional life is challenging. In order to accomplish all that we feel is necessary, many [...]
What to Do When Your Term Life Insurance Is Expiring
Many families are discovering that a 20-year term for a life insurance policy isn’t enough. In an ideal world, you buy life insurance when your kids are young or you’ve purchased your first home, and you need the coverage only for about 20 years. By the time your policy nears the end of its [...]
Helping Your Heirs While Helping Others
A charitable remainder trust (CRT) can be a highly effective financial and estate planning tool. The CRT can allow you to: avoid capital gains taxes on highly appreciated assets, however when income is distributed to the income beneficiaries it is taxable; receive an income stream based on the full, fair market value (FMV) of [...]
12 Estate Planning Must-Dos
Many of you already have estate documents, probably executed many years ago. You need an estate attorney to look over your documents every 10 years or so. Here are a dozen points to review. Do you have a will and powers of attorney for health care and property? These are part of [...]