Kaiser Law Group has a sub-specialty in working with blended families. Our clients in second marriages who bring children from previous relationships are seeking to strike a delicate balance between taking care of their spouse and making sure that their children are protected. Accomplishing this balance requires a great deal of trust, open communication and flexibility. I’ve found that couples who
This quick article from the Wall Street Journal hits the three most basic estate tax concepts in a pretty concise and straight-forward way. If you have any questions about the interplay between the annual gift exemption ($14,000), the estate tax exemption (currently $5.43 million per person) or the lifetime gift exemption (it ties in with the estate tax exemption), take a
My “Millionaire Next Door” clients and their advisors would probably get a kick out of the story of Ronald Read – a former JC Penny janitor and service station worker who passed away earlier this year with $8 million. None of his friends and family knew of his wealth, which he left primarily to a local hospital and library in Vermont
I was sad to hear of the passing of Thomas Stanley, the author of the hit 1990’s book The Millionaire Next Door as reported from this Yahoo! Finance article. My Dad first gave me his book shortly after I graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 1996. The premise of the book was both simple and counterintuitive. Stanley and his co-author were
One of the components of the comprehensive estate plans we establish for our clients is a HIPAA authorization. This form allows our clients to name trusted loved ones or professional advisors to have access to their otherwise-confidential records. I found this New York Times article regarding HIPAA authorizations interesting. It discusses how many institutions have incorrectly or overbroadly applied HIPAA as