The Internet is such an interesting place. One of the most powerful things about it is that it's lowered the bar for people to self-publish. It used to be that you could trust something that was published, due in large part to the high barrier to entry to publishing and a tacit agreement among publishers[...]
I can't remember a hotter summer in New Jersey than this Summer 2010. With temperatures regularly above 90 degrees, the Medina Clan has been working hard to find ways to stay cool. Thanks to my wife's tireless research, we've been able to fill the boys' days with fun, low-cost activities - like Vacation Bible[...]
Imagine that you've recently lost a loved one and you've been named "executor" of the estate. You might be surprised to learn that you can't finish the process in a month, or even two for that matter. First, in New Jersey, you can't submit a Will to the court or begin probating estate until 10[...]
In March, Dan Duncan became the first billionaire to die in this year of an federal estate tax repeal - that is to say, no federal estate tax at all. Assuming no retroactive changes, Duncan may be the first billionaire to pass his wealth onto his children and grand-children free of estate tax. This article[...]
Welcome to Absurd Estate Planning. A category I had to create just to hold stories like this one. Making the estate planning news recently is the inheritance by Conchita the Chihuahua of a $3 Million dollar trust fund and a $8.3 Million dollar mansion in Miami Beach. You can read the full text from the[...]
Just like the famous Google Ad about finding love in Paris, we've created our own Estate Planning Google Search Story. It's all about why searches on estate planning keep bringing up "www.JerseyEstatePlanning.com" as the top result and finally asks the question, "Who is www.JerseyEstatePlanning.com?" The answer, of course, is: Medina Law Group, YourLawyers4Life. Here is[...]
Continuing with the great stuff from Scott Farnsworth and Sunbridge Legacy Builder Institute. Here is the second installment in Scott's series about the power of story-based planning. Again, I don't usually repost other people's information, but I've got a different audience than Scott does for his blog, and I want this information out in the[...]
One of the things that guides my practice is the gap between what clients want and what most advisors and planners can deliver. In my experience, clients want a caring advisor who can help them build and leave a legacy to their loved ones (financial and otherwise). However, most professionals lack the skills and tools[...]
The term "trust fund" conjures up images of mansions, yachts and huge fortunes. But once the province of the very rich, trusts have found themselves into the lives of many families who've never thought of themselves as wealthy. Trusts come in myriad forms, but for middle-class families, the living trust is popular because the person[...]
I thought folks would be up for a change of pace. Here is what Steven Colbert thinks about the estate tax repeal. Pick it up at the second segment at minute 12:00. Enjoy.[...]