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A Testimonial From Beyond… “The Problem I Tried to Avoid”
“I was getting along in age, and I’d heard about the difficulty others had getting their assets to their family when they died. So, I had...
Ross Spano
Mar 19, 20221 min read


BIG MISTAKE... Selling Your Homestead Property to Pay for Long-Term Care Expenses
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, most people over 65 will eventually need help with daily living tasks,...
Ross Spano
Feb 19, 20221 min read


Top 10 Estate Planning Mistakes... And How to Avoid Them.
Mistake #1: Doing nothing because you think planning for death means you’ll die sooner. Truth/Solution: Everyone dies, but some have...
Ross Spano
Feb 12, 20222 min read


“An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure” - Why You Should Have Advanced Directives.
Fairly often, I meet with an adult child who’s attempting to help their aging parent with some financial or medical issue… for example,...
Ross Spano
Jan 28, 20221 min read


It's True... A Will Won't Avoid Probate!
Congratulations, you have a Last Will and Testament! You’re feeling pretty good about yourself, aren’t you? I mean, after all, you’re one...
Ross Spano
Jan 21, 20221 min read


Blended Families… You Can Protect Your Spouse AND Your Children!
Having a blended family comes with some challenges, one of which is ensuring a surviving spouse has enough to live on while also...
Ross Spano
Jan 14, 20221 min read


Dotting Your i's and Crossing Your t's... Don't Make This Mistake.
True story - a few years ago, I consulted with a client who’d used an online website to prepare her estate plan. She then got the...
Ross Spano
Jan 7, 20221 min read


Why We Do It... An Estate Planning Success Story.
As you probably know, I often write about the “horror stories” resulting from the failure to properly plan…. the estranged son who shows...
Ross Spano
Dec 30, 20211 min read


Don't Want to "Air Your Laundry"? You Probably Need a Trust.
There are a number of reasons to consider creating a Trust rather than just a Last Will and Testament. For one, and this is generally the...
Ross Spano
Dec 13, 20211 min read


Do You Trust Your Child With Money? If Not, You Need to Read This.
Most people like to spend money, don’t they? Buying new and expensive things is fun and gives us an adrenaline rush. In fact, did you...
Ross Spano
Dec 3, 20212 min read


“The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread”… What Took So Long?
Did you know that, since the days of ancient Greece, men and women used written documents called last wills to transfer their assets to...
Ross Spano
Nov 20, 20211 min read


"Close... But No Cigar" - Failing to Properly Fund a Living Trust
Occasionally, I’ll consult with a new client (or possibly the family of a decedent) who had a trust created years ago. When the trust was...
Ross Spano
Nov 5, 20211 min read


Reason #1,672 Why Some Don’t Have an Estate Plan => You Won’t Believe It!
Over the years, I’ve heard so many different reasons (excuses) why people don’t have an estate plan: "I don’t have much, so I don’t need...
Ross Spano
Oct 23, 20212 min read


I'm Not Rich and Don't Have an "Estate" - Why Would I Need an Estate Plan?
Just recently, I helped a young client create an estate plan. When he first called, he told me, "I'm young and don't have too many...
Ross Spano
Oct 12, 20212 min read


“Everything but the Kitchen Sink” Goes in Your Trust… Including Your Gold 😊
A trust is a very important estate planning document for many reasons, which I’ve covered in prior blog articles. But the best trust...
Ross Spano
Oct 2, 20211 min read


From Bad to Worse... A Story of Two Tales
Losing a loved one is never easy. Unfortunately, for many of my clients, the pain doesn’t end there. The last thing you want to do after...
Ross Spano
Sep 18, 20212 min read


“I’d Rather Not Talk About It… I’m Sure the Problem Will ‘Go Away’”
So you’re happily remarried, and you can’t imagine life being any better. You get along well with your step-children (or maybe you...
Ross Spano
Sep 4, 20211 min read


Special Needs Trusts: Protecting Your Child’s Financial Future
According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau brief, over 4 million children in the United States had a disability in 2019, defined as...
Ross Spano
Aug 21, 20211 min read


“Penny Wise and Pound Foolish”… The Very Real Dangers of Self-Help Estate Planning
Recently, I met with a new client (we’ll call her Susan) who’s mother had recently passed away. Susan needed help with her mom’s estate....
Ross Spano
Aug 21, 20211 min read


I’ve Been Meaning to Do It… So Why Haven’t I?
Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I procrastinate?” You know you should do something, and you keep telling yourself you will, but you...
Ross Spano
Jul 31, 20212 min read
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