My wife and I had our first child late last year. As any new parent quickly discovers, having a baby comes with an impressive list of things...

My parents are in the middle of winding down their farm operation in Northern Iowa. The idea was simple: sell the land; retire and walk off ...

Working with family members can be a double-edged sword. It may seem easier to start a business with family members because you already kn...

1. Should Mom and Dad give us the house as a gift now so that they don’t have to “give it to  the government” later? This is a common ques...

I'm moving. So moving (and packing, hauling, and unpacking) is on my mind. It occurred to me that many clients have questions about what...

A very notable woman in the entertainment industry (other than  Joan Rivers ) passed away recently— Lauren Bacall . Lauren, born Betty Joan ...

Last week we tragically lost  an entertainer  who played a major role in my life, and, I am sure, in the lives of many others as well. Most ...

Legendary rock artist  Sting   recently acknowledged that his fortune of approximately  $300MM will not be passing to his six children .  ...

Last month I mentioned that every person should have a basic estate plan, including a medical directive.  This directive is not only necessa...

Clients often come to me for their first estate plan because they have recently had a child.  Many clients think that estate planning is un...

Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s  life tragically ended  far too soon for movie fans, and I’m sure for his three children as well.  His will left...

This time of year can be full of family, food, and good fortune; it can sometimes be full of good and bad change too. I am often busy this...

Over the last week or so news broke that Lauren Conrad  is engaged  to budding lawyer,  William Tell .   I am positive that almost no one ...

James Gandolfini, a/k/a Tony Soprano, died unexpectedly at the age of 51.  Not that we should all take money management lessons from a TV mo...

As I write this post, most of the world is holding their collective breath  waiting for the royal baby to arrive .   The Brits and much of...

A  few months ago I wrote  about the real housewife turned mogul,  Bethenny Frankel , and her massive deal to sell her  SkinnyGirl drinks...

Many clients are doing year-end gifting this year. We have an unusually large gift tax exemption and thus the additional ability to gift w...

Continuing from the first two parts of this series ( the simple gift of business units   and grantor retained annuity trusts ), this insta...

Building on the first installment of this series ( the simple gift of business units ), this second post will discuss the first leveraged...

Especially in a time of very favorable interest rate environments, depressed asset values, a large estate/gift tax exemption, and capital...