Nobody likes thinking about dying, or selecting a guardian to raise your children, or having to choose which of your children would best manage your money in your absence. But the critical point about estate planning is this: If you don't do it, you lose your say. Without a will, your estate may end up in court, divvied up based on a judge’s decision - not your own.

Without specific terms set in place, you may not get the medical care you would prefer or the preferred custodial caretaker for your children. For those reasons, it is better to face the discomfort of our mortality and make sure everything is up to date and in order. With your estate planning checked off your list, you can rest assured that, in an unthinkable situation, you and your family will be covered.

So, where do you start?

We all know that good communication leads to stronger relationships, but there are some topics that are common stumbling blocks for couples. If you tend to avoid talking to your spouse or partner about money, you’re not alone. However, these conversations are important. Avoidance can often lead to arguments, overspending, underfunded savings accounts, and more. In fact, it’s difficult to maintain good financial health if you don’t talk about money together.

In my last few chats with you, we’ve been discussing estate planning, and in a previous blog, I tried to simplify estate planning by using a pie metaphor…a cherry pie, cut in half. Today, I thought
I would change it up to a pizza pie. One-half of the pie is will-based planning, and the other half is trust-based planning. Both are important parts of your overall wealth management process, and your financial advisor and estate attorney are key to helping you decide which is better for your situation.

Let’s look further into trust-based planning.

Have you begun to save for retirement? It is never too early to start planning for your retirement, and in a perfect world, we would all start saving for retirement at age 25 and life would never throw any curveballs to send us off track. Of course, this is far from a perfect world, and that's why so many Americans find themselves playing catch-up and carrying anxiety about never achieving their retirement savings goals.

Today, I want to offer you some powerful techniques you can use to accelerate your savings right now - even if you've waited longer than you would hope to begin saving. Below, we’ll look at seven tactics to help you get serious - and successful - about your retirement nest egg.

In the past week, you may have seen that the House Ways and Means Committee released a draft of significant tax legislation.  While the bill will not be debated in Congress and finalized in the weeks to come, I want to summarize eleven key proposed changes so that you can start taking action before the legislation is signed and specific planning windows are closed.