Business

James Miskell, Attorney at Law

Estate Planning | The Essential Tools of Estate Planning

The numbers vary somewhat from survey to survey, but each new study that is released reveals that large numbers of Americans do not have a will. Not having a will is shorthand for not having any estate planning in place.

Roger Green, MSFS,CFP®

Your Green: Protect Your Income

Just over 1 in 4 of today’s 20-year-olds will become disabled before they retire.1 About 20% – or 1 in 5 American adults- have a disability according to the CDC July 2015.

James Miskell, Attorney at Law

Estate Planning | Right Now is the Best Time to Prepare for the Unexpected

In the middle of a Georgia summer, the days are long and it seems like we’ve got more time for the things we enjoy. The kids are out of school, and work slows down a little. If we’re lucky, we get some extra time with our family, spend lazy days at the pool, and vacation with children and grandchildren. It can feel like summer will last forever.

Roger Green, MSFS,CFP®

Your Green: Delayed Gratification and Wealth

Have you heard of the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment conducted in 1972 by a Stanford University psychologist? In this experiment, children are given a marshmallow and told they would receive a second marshmallow if they could resist eating the first. Scientists studied how long each child resisted the temptation to eat the marshmallow. A long-term study of the children who participated in this experiment showed those who were able to wait for the marshmallow – to defer gratification – were most successful in life.

Roger Green, MSFS,CFP®

Your Green: Financial Words of Wisdom for Graduates!

Time is money—literally. For a recent graduate, time might also seem like an abundant resource, with many thinking they have plenty of time to save for their future – later. The traps of bad credit and debt snare many unsuspecting young adults and cling to their financial history for years.

James Miskell, Attorney at Law

Estate Planning | Should a Trust be Part of Your Planning

When it comes to estate planning, the most familiar document is the last will and testament. Most people have a basic understanding that a will allows you to appoint a personal representative (an executor) upon your death and directs that person to distribute your assets as you specify. Put another way, a will says who gets your stuff when you die—but until you die, it does nothing.

Roger Green, MSFS,CFP®

Your Green: Growth versus Saving for Retirement

Very few people could “save” enough for retirement with today’s long life expectancies and earlier retirements. If you just “save” – yet do not have growth that exceeds both income taxes and inflation, you are more likely to run out of money.