Death of a Loved One

When you lose a spouse, partner, child or other family member, your whole world seems to stop.  It takes time to remember how to breathe again.  And then what?  All of a sudden you find out about debts and assets you might not have known about. 

You have all these questions:

  • Will I be able to continue to be financially stable without my spouse/partner?
  • What about insurance? 
  • Where are those papers? 
  • How do I know when the bills are due?

The paperwork never seems to end.  That’s where we can help.  We have done this and been through this with many of our clients.  We can make a “house call” to go through everything with you and work through those questions to make them less intimidating.  We work with your attorney, accountant and other professionals to get everything together.  We can help to get everything done in a reasonable amount of time and explain what is happening so that you can be more comfortable knowing that you have someone there with you.

In the end, we will make a plan with you so that you know where you stand financially and work with you to make sure you can still live comfortably while you find your way back to being you.

Divorce

We will work with you through your divorce and make a financial plan for you that will encompass your lifestyle as you start your new life. 

During your divorce, we will help you gather your joint assets and work with your attorney to figure out a fair division, taking into consideration taxes, future income and growth, and your specific needs.  We will be there for you when questions arise from you or other professionals that you are working with to make sure your needs are being met through this difficult process.

After your divorce is final, we will have a plan in place to manage your assets, provide lifetime income, and make sure you will be financially stable to live your life happily and comfortably.

Incapacity of a spouse

This can be a very trying time indeed.  Not only are you emotionally drained, but you are physically exhausted and the stress of how much this will cost is overwhelming.  Hopefully there is a plan in place for this which included long term care insurance or a life insurance or annuity policy with a long term care rider that can be utilized.  Whether there is or not (and many times there is not), we are here to evaluate your joint assets, discuss Medicare/Medicaid or other insurance possibilities, review your income status and possibly change your investments to allow for more income to pay additional medical costs, etc.  We also work with you to find care and can help you work with an attorney to file for Medicaid, if necessary.  We have been down this road before with our clients and know how hard it is to make all those decisions that you hoped you would never need to make.

Financial Windfall

This is the event we’ve all been dreaming about for years.  However, when it happens, it is normally not what we expected.  Do you know that many individuals who find themselves in the position of receiving a large sum of money either by inheritance, legal settlement, insurance payout or lottery winnings, end up losing most, if not all of that windfall within 5 to 10 years?  We will work with your accountant to make sure enough is set aside for taxes and we will work with your attorney to set up a trust or other estate planning documents, if necessary, to manage your assets for future generations.  We are here to assist you in forming a plan to combine your new-found wealth with your current assets and financial status to reasonably pay off your debts, invest for your future, provide necessary income, use part to leave a legacy for future generations, and make a financial plan that will allow you to live comfortably and financially stress free.