Before you head off on your next adventure ask yourself – Is everything handles and up-to-date?  Your normal life seems a million miles away. This is the first time you have been able to go away together, just the two of you. It seems like just yesterday the kids were chasing fireflies in the back yard after the family barbeque. Time seems to have a way of accelerating. They are now grown and the loss of everyday contact has given you both newfound freedom and independence. As you … [Read more...] about Relax: Everything’s Handled

We look around us and we see the changing face of America.  Americans are living longer now than ever before.  According to the National Center for Heath Statistics, the average life expectancy at birth is now 77.2 years.  The life expectancy has ratcheted up gradually from 59.7 years in 1930.  This, combined with an increased rate of divorce, results in more marriages per individual and more blended families. Let’s look at a typical situation.  Susan and Mike have … [Read more...] about Preserving Harmony with Blended Families

Each of us daydreams of an easy way to become rich. Maybe we will come into some unexpected money. We dream of winning the lottery, hitting a slot machine jackpot, or winning a game show. We wonder if there may be some lost relative ready to leave us their fortune. So, let’s say you do come into significant wealth. What do you do?  Of course, you probably have some ideas on ways to spend the money. But, first you have to take care of business. If you acquired it from a game … [Read more...] about How to Handle a Windfall

Taking the time to update the charitable bequests in your trust or Will can seem tedious when compared to the constant, busy buzz of everyday life; however, the consequences of not making necessary changes can be severe. It is likely A.B. Branan did not foresee that the charitable bequest provisions would remain unresolved for years following his death. When Mr. Branan signed his Will in 1992, he left a charitable bequest to the Cordele Georgia Area Y.M.C.A. After experiencing financial … [Read more...] about Charitable Bequests: You Better Review Them

As dawn breaks over the ranch, you think of the chores that await you: tending the cattle; repairing the equipment; buying feed and supplies.  The life of a rancher is not easy, but it has its rewards:  a life close to family and nature.  But, as you age and nature takes its course, how will you protect your family and preserve the ranch? You try to plan to minimize the impact of adversities.  Maybe you build ponds to assure adequate water.  Maybe you hedge prices … [Read more...] about Preserving the Ranch for the Next Generation 

You are a responsible person.  You go to the physician and dentist periodically.  You stay active and watch what you eat.  You went to an attorney and did an estate plan.  Unfortunately, professionals, like the rest of us, have changes in their lives.  Perhaps they moved.  Perhaps they fell ill or became disabled.  Perhaps they died.  So, what do you do when a professional is no longer available to assist you? First, find out what has become of your … [Read more...] about My Attorney Does Not Practice Law Anymore: Now What?

Life lessons from Anna Nicole Smith. Anna Nicole Smith has become a household name.  But that was not always the case.  She was born as Vickie Lynn Hogan and grew up about 80 miles south of Dallas, Texas.  She was raised by her mother and, at age 17, she married Billy Smith, age 16, a cook at the restaurant where she worked.  She divorced Smith after a brief marriage which produced her son, Daniel.  She worked various jobs to support herself and Daniel, including as an exotic dancer in a … [Read more...] about Anna Nicole Smith Can Teach Us a Few Things