The Estate Planning Law Group

What You Can Do in a Recession

It's official. The economy is in a recession. That's not news to most people, but the National Bureau of Economic Research reported that the decline actually started in December 2007 and is likely to continue through a significant chunk of 2009.

Newspapers and the tv news shows are filled with negative stories. If you spend too much of your day surrounded by all the doom and gloom, you are going to start to feel like jumping back into bed and pulling a big pillow over your head!

I sometimes feel that way, but I've got work to do, children to raise, a family to take care of, and a home to keep running. I am sure you do too!

I can't let all the negativity become overwhelming, so I've limited my tv watching and newspaper reading to the weekends. This has a resulted in a huge decrease in the amount of negativity and a huge increase in the amount of time I've devoted to more useful pursuits-like reading works of fiction (try the Twilight series, they're not just for kids!) and walking our dog (a very lively Shipoo).

You might feel like there isn't much that you can do to secure your financial future in times like these, but that's not correct. Instead of focusing on all the bad news, focus on what you can do now and then apply some of the energy you spend worrying to taking action.

Now is a great time to pull together what I like to call a Financial Freedom Notebook-you should get yours ready now so that when there is an emergency all your important documents and information are organized to make things as simple as possible.

Here is what your notebook should include:

Important Financial Papers. Include recent account statements showing account numbers and the name of the financial institutions along with mortgage documents, real estate papers, life insurance statements, and annuity information. Don't forget custodial accounts you've set up for the kids!

Government Benefits. Be sure to include social security statements (income and/or disability) and Medicare benefits-including information about which supplemental plan you are enrolled in.

Contact Information for Important Advisors. If you work with an accountant, financial advisor, insurance professional, or attorney, make sure you include their full contact information so that your loved ones know who to call.

Legal Planning Documents. Include copies of all prenuptial agreements, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, or other estate planning documents. Also provide documents related to your business, including incorporation documents, operating agreements, and buy-sell agreements.

Important Personal Papers. Marriage certificate, birth certificate, social security ID cards, and health insurance.

Beneficiary Designations. Include copies of current beneficiary designation forms. Now is a great time to make sure these beneficiary designations are correct and up to date. Quick tip: don't name your minor child or child with special needs as the direct beneficiary of IRA or life insurance money. You'll need to send money to them in trust, instead. Let us know if you have questions about how to do this the right way.

Password List. If you work on computers, you'll need to provide your family with a password list so that if something happens to you, your spouse or children can access your account information.

As an added precaution, scan the documents you've included in your Financial Freedom Notebook and store the information electronically as well as in a notebook. I prefer a hard copy notebook, however, because it isn't easy to find documents on someone else's computer if they aren't there to point you in the right direction.

So, avoid the doom and gloom, take charge of what you can control, and get ready for 2009.

© 2008 The Estate Planning Law Group.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include everything in quotes with it: "© 2008 The Estate Planning Law Group. Written and edited by Bill Deitch and Kirsten Izatt. Bill and Kirsten's mission is to make the world a better place by providing a lifetime of ongoing guidance and counsel to people who want to make the very best decisions about how to plan for and protect their families through estate planning. Get their revealing, enlightening, and sometimes humorous "Family Wealth Builder" e-zine at www.FamilyWealthBuilderNewsletter.com."

Can't Afford Your Mortgage? Help Is Here!

Article By Debbie Tretheway & Michelle Alessi

The Hope for Homeowners program will continue FHA'S existing and successful efforts to provide aid to struggling families trapped in mortgages they currently cannot afford. Under the program, certain borrowers facing difficulty with their mortgage will be eligible to refinance into FHA-insured mortgages they can afford. By continuing to slow the rate of foreclosures this program will support FHA'S existing effort to stabilize local housing markets. The program will last from October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2011.

Sustainable, Absorbability Homeownership

Hope for Homeowners maintains FHA'S long-standing requirement that new loans be based on a family's long-term ability to repay the mortgage. Only your primary residence is eligible for FHA-insured mortgages.


Borrowers must also meet the following eligibility criteria:

-    Your mortgage must have originated on or before January 1, 2008

-    Your mortgage debt must be at least 31 percent of your gross income

-    You cannot afford your current loan

-    You did not intentionally miss mortgage payments; and

-    You do not own a second home.
Features of FHA-insured loans under the new program include:

-    30year fixed rate mortgage

-    Maximum 90 percent loan-to-value ratio; you cannot borrower more than 90% of the homes current value determined by FHA appraiser

-    No prepayment penalties

-    $550,440 maximum mortgage amount

-    New loan will replace any existing liens

-    New home appraisals from Fill-approved appraisers.

Homeowners May Already Be Eligible For Assistance

Families should not wait to seek mortgage relief. You can determine if you are already eligible for mortgage assistance through FHA secure. FHA'S existing refinancing program. Obtain information through any of the following options:

1.    Contact a local, HUD-approved housing counseling agency at HUD.gov

2.    Contact the HOPE NOW Alliance at (888) 995-HOPE

3.    Call FHA at (800) CALL-FHA

This article was written by Debbie Tretheway & Michelle Alessi:  "Our vision is to design customized loan programs that fulfill our clients' present and future needs. Working in harmony with our clients, professional colleagues, and community, we aim to maximize The Power Of Two Working For You."  Visit www.debbieandmichelle.com for more information.

© 2008 The Estate Planning Law Group.

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Kirsten's Family Wealth Builder Blog. 

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include everything in quotes with it: "© 2008 The Estate Planning Law Group. Written and edited by Bill Deitch and Kirsten Izatt.  Bill and Kirsten's mission is to make the world a better place by providing a lifetime of ongoing guidance and counsel to people who want to make the very best decisions about how to plan for and protect their families through estate planning. Get their revealing, enlightening, and sometimes humorous "Family Wealth Builder" e-zine at www.FamilyWealthBuilderNewsletter.com."

How to Prepare for an Elder Care Emergency

My husband grew up in Taylorville, IL, which is about 30 miles southeast of Springfield, IL. After he graduated from high school, my husband moved to Arizona to pursue a competitive athletic career, and for the next 20 years, he lived all over the United States. During that time, Betty Izatt, my mother-in-law, remained in Taylorville. She lived almost all of her adult life there and had many long-time friends.

One of the reasons we moved back to Chicago after living overseas was so that we would be closer to Betty, and my husband could keep a closer eye on her. Because he is an only child, and his father passed away when he was only 14, he felt a particularly strong sense of responsibility with respect to taking care of his mother.

After living so far away, we certainly felt closer to my mother-in-law, but the truth is we were still at least four hours away by car. When Betty started to decline in recent years, my husband spent many hours in the car driving to Taylorville to check up on her.

It wasn't easy. In particular, the last six weeks were difficult. My husband was driving back and forth for days at a time. It was a lot of pressure on him so I did everything I could to make it as easy as possible for him. Regardless, balancing work and care giving responsibilities is never easy.

Fortunately, we both have our own businesses, so we have a lot of flexibility. In the end, we muddled through and did the best we could.

Our story is just one of millions that children experience each year when it comes to caring for elderly parents, so I thought I'd share some of the things I learned through the experience so that if you are facing a care giving crisis you are as prepared as you can be.

Whether you are an employee or your own boss, make sure you have been working as though you are going on vacation tomorrow. If you keep up to date on your work, and everyone knows what to do in your absence, you'll be able to move fast when there is a need to take care of a parent.

If you are an employee, research your company's policies regarding time off and federal and state law. In some cases, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act will grant employees 12 weeks of unpaid time off, but if you are a highly paid "key employee" you might not be eligible.

Regardless, strengthen your relationship with the human resources department and your boss. That way, when a care giver emergency arises, you'll know who to call, and they won't be surprised. I've discovered in any relationship that setting expectations is important. If you need to be gone from work, it will be easier for you to do so if you are working ahead of your responsibilities, and you have set expectations about what might happen, and how things are going to get done in your absence.

Gather resources and support before you need them. Geriatric care managers can do a great job of stepping in and providing support to a frail parent when you can't. Go to www.caremanager.org for help in finding a geriatric care manager. You can research caregiver programs at www.caregiver.org.

Finally, be sure to let go of the expectations you have about how things should unfold. With so much uncertainty in our lives, we want to take charge and control what will happen. For example, "The doctor told me that mom had six months more to live, but she only lived four weeks." When reality changes so quickly, it is easy to say that the doctor doesn't know what they are doing or mom should have lived five more months.

Life doesn't work that way. Let go of your need to try and control what should happen. Instead, allow yourself to make the best possible decision in the moment and forgive yourself if it wasn't the perfect decision. Most likely, it was good enough.

© 2008 The Estate Planning Law Group.

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Kirsten's Family Wealth Builder Blog. 

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include everything in quotes with it: "© 2008 The Estate Planning Law Group. Written and edited by Bill Deitch and Kirsten Izatt.  Bill and Kirsten's mission is to make the world a better place by providing a lifetime of ongoing guidance and counsel to people who want to make the very best decisions about how to plan for and protect their families through estate planning. Get their revealing, enlightening, and sometimes humorous "Family Wealth Builder" e-zine at www.FamilyWealthBuilderNewsletter.com."

What You Can Learn from Michael Phelps

After winning eight gold medals in one Olympics and obtaining worldwide celebrity status, Michael Phelps has launched his earning capacity into the stratosphere. All those product endorsements and public events are bound to add up to a significant amount of cash over Phelps’ life.

Does that mean that Phelps is financially secure? Not necessarily. There are many stories of politicians, celebrities, actors and actresses, and sports figures who have generated tremendous wealth only to find themselves in financial ruin at some point in their life. Everyone from Benedict Arnold to Kim Basinger.

What does this mean for you even if you don’t have a lifetime earnings capacity of well over a $ 100,000,000? More than you might think. Many people at some point in their life receive a financial windfall. It might be earned or it might be unexpected, but it does happen, and many people are unprepared.

So, let’s take a look at Michael Phelps to see what lessons we can learn and apply to enhance our own financial well being:

1) Bring in a Team of Trusted Advisors.
The first thing Phelps needs to do to hold on to his wealth and make good decisions over his lifetime, is to put together a team of honest and trusted advisors. He’ll need a team of financial advisors, accountants, an insurance agent, somebody who can set up tax free streams of income and set aside retirement money.

2) Set a Budget.
Phelps should use his team to help him set up a budget and stick to it. There will be tremendous pressure for Phelps to raise the lifestyle of all his friends and family to his level. Sharing the bounty is fine, but he will need to set limits. A team of advisors will make it easier for him to do so. For example, “I’d like to loan you the money you need for your new business venture, but my accountant says that we’ve got to run the numbers first.”

3) Set Up a Prenuptial Agreement.
It doesn’t sound like Phelps is planning on getting married soon, but when he does, he’ll want to decide how his financial assets will be divied up if he divorces. A prenuptial agreement can do just that. If Phelps marries, the financial assets he brings into the marriage are treated as separate property and are not subject to division upon divorce (so long as he keeps them separate), but everything else is up for grabs—including appreciation on the value of his separate property and wealth accumulated after marriage. He’ll need to plan the “what if” scenario before “swimming” down the aisle.

4) Develop a Life Long Relationship with a Lawyer.  
A good lifelong relationship with a lawyer will serve Phelps well, but one lawyr isn’t enough. He’ll need both a business transaction lawyer and an estate planning lawyer to provide guidance. A business lawyer can negotiate deals for Phelps, and the estate planning lawyer can provide guidance on how to preserve, grow, and pass on his financial wealth. Despite those yellow page ads where some lawyers list as many as twenty areas of expertise, not all lawyers can do all things! If necessary, Phelps’ primary lawyer can bring in outside counsel with specific expertise to get the job done.

5) Charitable Involvement.
Anyone who is fortunate enough to receive a financial windfall should look at the wonderful opportunities for charitable planning, and Phelps is no different. Phelps’ charitable giving and direct involvement with charitable activities will bolster his public image and raise his appeal, but it will also give him outlets for preserving wealth and minimizing estate tax. The estate tax exemption may be increasing, but the fact remains that Phelps’ estate planning lawyer will have to do some mighty creative planning if Phelps wants to minimize the amount of money that goes to the IRS when he dies. Charitable planning can do that.

2008 © The Estate Planning Law Group.

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
Go here to read our Blog.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE ONLINE NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include everything in quotes with it: “2008 © The Estate Planning Law Group. Written and edited by Bill Deitch and Kirsten Izatt.  Bill and Kirsten’s mission is to make the world a better place by providing a lifetime of ongoing guidance and counsel to people who want to make the very best decisions about how to plan for and protect their families through estate planning. Get their revealing, enlightening, and sometimes humorous 'Family Wealth Builder' e-zine at www.FamilyWealthBuilderNewsletter.com.”

If Your Parents Ask for Your Help, Will You Say Yes?

I have a confession to make.

Even though I work as an estate planning attorney, I’ve never been personally responsible for administering the estate of someone who has died.

I’ve advised plenty of people who are navigating the process as either Executor or Trustee, so I understand what needs to be done, but I’ve always done so from a professional perspective—and not a personal one.

For now, I’m happy about my lack of personal experience with estate administration.

It means that nobody I love has passed away and put me in charge—at least for the time being.

Although my Mom passed away from cancer almost two years ago now, my Dad was able to handle everything without any assistance (other than the assistance of their attorney) because he and my Mom were so organized and well prepared.

I don’t expect it to happen anytime soon (my 83 year old Dad just returned from Europe where he successfully completed at least one 25 mile bike trip), but when my Dad passes away, I’ll probably have my first experience with the family realities that go along with administering an estate.

Unlike most people, I do have some sense of what to expect—at least from the perspective of taking care of the estate.

So, if you want to get some insider tips about what you can expect. Read on.

Here are a couple of practical tips to keep in mind if you plan on serving as either an Executor or a Trustee (or both) in the future:

1) Know if a safety deposit box exists and where it is.

People love to put their important documents in a safety deposit box. It makes sense. Those documents are safe and secure during life, but problems can arise upon death if the person who dies is the only person named on the safety deposit box.

I am working on a case like this right now, and it is going to cost the family more money to deal with it now than if it had been taken care of earlier and someone else’s name had been on the safety deposit box.

If wills or original trust documents are kept in a safety deposit box, you may end up having to obtain a court order to access the box. The problem is so common in Illinois that the state legislature enacted the Illinois Safety Deposit Box Opening Act to deal with this common problem.

What frustrates me is that some banks will refuse to open the box without a court order even though the law allows them to do so in certain easily met circumstances!

The bottom line: always put at least two people’s names on a safety deposit box if it is going to hold your will or original trust documents. If the bank lets you, you can also name your Living Trust as the owner of your safety deposit box. Your trust should allow quick access to the box if it contains provisions for a successor Trustee to step in after death.

2) Be prepared to front money to the estate to get things started.

When someone dies, there are lots of immediate expenses—funeral homes, medical bills, taxes, mortgage payments, and possibly legal fees to open an estate (or to petition a bank to open a safety deposit box).

Some of these expenses can wait, others can’t.

Who is going to pay? Once the estate is opened and the Executor or Trustee has taken over, the estate will pay. But who pays before you have legal authority to access the funds in the estate?

You will. Once the estate is opened, you can get reimbursed, but it might take some time to make that happen. Be prepared.

3) Keep track of expenses right away.

In the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death, it’s hard to remember all the financial details. So, tell everyone to keep receipts. Create a spreadsheet and track expenses. If a spreadsheet is too complicated for you, use a notebook.

One of your primary responsibilities as an Executor and as a Trustee is to keep track of receipts and expenditures. Start immediately and you won’t have to back track as much.

4) Protect yourself—get great legal advice about your responsibilities.

As an Executor or Trustee you are personally liable to the estate or trust if you make errors in judgment and don’t meet your responsibilities to the IRS or to the beneficiaries. Protect yourself. Hire a lawyer who can guide you through the process of administering an estate so that you don’t end up personally owing the IRS or the beneficiaries money that has to be paid out of your own pocketbook.

Finally, enjoy time with your loved one. Even though it is an honor take on this responsibility, I’d much rather spend time with my Dad now than spend time taking care of his estate when he is gone. I’m sure you feel the same way about the people you love.

2008 © The Estate Planning Law Group.

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
Go here to read our Blog.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE ONLINE NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include everything in quotes with it: “2008 © The Estate Planning Law Group. Written and edited by Bill Deitch and Kirsten Izatt.  Bill and Kirsten’s mission is to make the world a better place by providing a lifetime of ongoing guidance and counsel to people who want to make the very best decisions about how to plan for and protect their families through estate planning. Get their revealing, enlightening, and sometimes humorous 'Family Wealth Builder' e-zine at www.FamilyWealthBuilderNewsletter.com.”

What Randy Pausch Reveals About Family Wealth Planning in The Last Lecture

Written by Kirsten Izatt

If you haven’t seen Randy Pausch’s video “The Last Lecture - Really Achieve Your Childhood Dreams" or read his book you should.

Randy Pausch, a Professor at Carnegie Mellon, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about two years ago. Late in 2007 the cancer turned metastatic, and he was told he had 3-6 months of good health left. He is in his 40s and has a wife and three young children.

In response to his diagnosis he presented something that professors call “The Last Lecture” to a lecture hall at Carnegie Mellon filled to capacity with students, professors and staff. His lecture is filled with the wisdom accumulated by a man who lived (and is still living) life to the fullest. The video became such a sensation that Randy also wrote a book summarizing the advice he gave in his lecture.

Randy Pausch’s work in the last year of his life has made him famous, but he reveals that his children, not fame, served as his inspiration. He wanted to provide his children with the guidance they would need as they grew up without him. 

He managed to accomplish all of this within about 6 months time—and he is now living about 8 months into the 3-6 months of good health he was given.

I think that Randy Pausch’s accomplishments this year demonstrate a powerful lesson for all of us—Family Wealth Planning is about more than the transition of financial assets, it is also about creating a positive legacy, making the world a better place, and capturing the human, social, and intellectual assets that are often lost when someone dies.

In an interview, Randy Pausch revealed that his financial affairs were in order, but he instinctively knew that wasn’t enough and created a triumphant legacy for his family.

Here’s how to maximize Family Wealth at each generation:

•    Get your estate plan in order to ensure the smooth transition of your financial wealth

•    Make good legal and financial decisions during life

•    Prepare your children for the transition of Family Wealth by holding family meetings (more on that later)

•    Record your stories and advice so that your children and grandchildren are raised with your insight, values, and experience

After traveling to Scott Farnsworth’s Sunbridge group, I’ve started recording my family’s stories through a system called Priceless Conversations. I’m planning on doing the same with my extended family when we go to the Grandparent’s house after Christmas. I promise to let you know what happens.

If our initial conversations are successful, we will incorporate Priceless Conversations into the work we do with families here at The Estate Planning Law Group.

These conversations might not become as well known as Randy Pausch's, but I expect they will be just as meaningful to the people who love you.

2008 © The Estate Planning Law Group.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE ONLINE NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include everything in quotes with it: “2008 © The Estate Planning Law Group. Written and edited by Bill Deitch and Kirsten Izatt.  Bill and Kirsten’s mission is to make the world a better place by providing a lifetime of ongoing guidance and counsel to people who want to make the very best decisions about how to plan for and protect their families through estate planning. Get their revealing, enlightening, and sometimes humorous 'Family Wealth Builder' e-zine at www.FamilyWealthBuilderNewsletter.com.”

Change is Hard; Staying the Same is Harder

Written by Bill Deitch and Kirsten Izatt

For the past six months we have been working tremendously hard to expand our law practice and reach a broader audience. Although we are blessed to have strong relationships with our client families and professional advisors in the community, we wanted to do a better job of communicating with them, hosting events, and serving as a resource for information and guidance for a lifetime.

Plus, we wanted to serve a larger number of people in the community—including people who don’t yet have a relationship with a professional advisor.

We have a broad and exciting vision, but what we’ve learned is that having a vision isn’t enough to execute change; you also have to have a strategy and act on it. It hasn’t been easy, but we are starting to see some of our dreams manifest into reality after adopting and implementing a software customer relationship program called “Infusion.”

Our new management system allows us to better communicate with our clients as well as people who are considering working with the firm. For example, we can easily host events now and invite large numbers of people by allowing them to register online. In addition, we can now do more comprehensive and automated follow up with people who have attended our presentations or who have requested information.

Sounds great? We think so, but getting this finished has required all of us to step outside our comfort zones and embrace change.

People often talk about change, but we’ve discovered that it’s not that easy because deep down, most of us are resistant. There is a huge difference between discussing, pondering, thinking about, analyzing, and considering change and actually acting on it and making it happen.

Why is change so hard? People cling to what is familiar even if it can be improved upon. We’ve also observed that people perceive change as risky (that includes us, too!); even when it’s not.

You’ve probably experienced this phenomenon many times in your life. 

We have come to one conclusion; change is hard, but staying the same is harder—particularly when it means that a dream or a vision will go unfulfilled.

We certainly don’t have all the answers about how to effectuate change, but we would like to offer some hard earned wisdom that might be helpful to you if you are contemplating change or want to fulfill a vision that you have—that no one else seems to be able to see.

We hope that the following four tips can provide you with some inspiration—if you need it!

Tip # 1: Get Clear About Your Vision and Articulate It to Your Entire Team.
Your team can be at work, at home, or in the community. It can include your co-workers, your spouse, your children, or your best friend. By getting clear about your vision and articulating it, you start to turn your vision into reality. Don’t expect everyone to embrace your vision—at least not right away. Part of what makes a vision so exciting is that it brings energy, excitement, and anticipation to what you are doing. Not everyone will share your joy and excitement, but over time, you should expect that the people who care about you will be able to.

Tip # 2: Surround Yourself with Positive People Who Provide Ongoing Encouragement, Support, and Energy.
There are naysayers everywhere; stay away from them. They will drain your life force. No matter what you are doing, there will be no shortage of people who are ready to explain to you exactly why what you are doing isn’t worth doing and why it isn’t going to work. If you pay attention to the stories of people who have made great accomplishments in their life, you will notice that in almost every case, nobody thought they could do it. Imagine the wildly successful business that was turned down by 25 venture capital firms or the best selling book that no one would publish—except the small unknown publisher willing to take a chance.

I (Kirsten here) recently visited the Edison/Ford Estates in Fort Myers, Florida, and I had to laugh when I learned that when Thomas A. Edison announced to the world that he was going to light up an entire city block in New York City, the “prevailing critics of the day” didn’t believe he would deliver. As we all know, he did. When you need inspiration, think “Thomas Edison.”

Now, be sure to distinguish the naysayers from the folks who know you well and are able to provide you with honest feedback and commentary that will help you implement your vision. These people are invaluable. Even if it is hard, don’t be too proud to carefully consider the comments from the people who care about you.

Fortunately, we have a great team here at the law firm, and all of us made a concerted effort to support each other, keep on task, and remain positive. Thanks, Gloria, Stephanie, and Sherry for your contributions! We appreciate your positive energy and support more than you can imagine.

Tip # 3: Develop a Strategy and Take Action
It is easy to spend a lot of time thinking about taking action; it is much harder to actually take action. Develop the steps you need to take every day to implement your vision and then do something each day to move forward. Don’t worry about being perfect; just do it! Nothing is going to happen until you take action.

Tip # 4: Envision the Benefits to Taking Action
No matter what you do, at times you’re going to get bogged down and frustrated. Unexpected emergencies will arise; you will run into a naysayer; you might spend long hours working rather than being with your family. Given time, these negative feeling and experiences will pass. Instead, spend time imagining how you will feel once your vision is manifested and hold onto that feeling. Ask the people who care about you to remind you why you are working so hard. Express your appreciation to everyone who is working so hard.

2008 © The Estate Planning Law Group.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE ONLINE NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include everything in quotes with it: “2008 © The Estate Planning Law Group. Written and edited by Bill Deitch and Kirsten Izatt.  Bill and Kirsten’s mission is to make the world a better place by providing a lifetime of ongoing guidance and counsel to people who want to make the very best decisions about how to plan for and protect their families through estate planning. Get their revealing, enlightening, and sometimes humorous 'Family Wealth Builder' e-zine at www.FamilyWealthBuilderNewsletter.com.”