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14 Home Healthcare Mistakes to Avoid
Choosing home healthcare can be a very difficult and complicated decision. Experienced elder law and estate planning attorneys should be able to help you avoid home healthcare mistakes because they have experience in this area. We actually have quite a few tools that...
Everyone Over 18 Needs One of These…
At our house we like to watch the old shows like Little House on the Prairie and Andy Griffith. Bailey, our daughter, loves watching "Half Pint" and Barney Fife. Those are great shows and they reinforce some great old-fashioned values. In estate planning, there are...
Family Lending: Bad Idea or Strategic Investment Opportunity?
We are living in interesting times. Several Edwards Group clients have expressed uncertainty about how to safely invest their money given these unprecedented low-interest rates. Certificates of deposit have long been a favorite for risk-averse investors, but in this...
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Contain Yourself: Fool Proof Solution to Getting Organized
Why is getting organized so much fun? Well, I should rephrase that. Getting organized is a lot of work. But BEING organized is fun. A while back Michelle and I went to the Container Store in St. Louis. Who would think there is a store with nothing but containers for...
Walls coming down at Edwards Group
What has been going on at Edwards Group LLC? With the addition of Joshua Becker and Laura Peffley, we ran out of space. So what to do? Knock down walls. After (or I should probably say "during") Before Dave's office - before and after Now a glimpse of my new...
Keeping the Family Farm in the Family
[originally appeared in the Prairie Farmer magazine - reprinted with author's permission] “We worked hard to pay for and build up the farm to what it’s worth today. We couldn’t have done it without the help of our son (or daughter). As we do our estate planning,...
And the winner is…
Congratulations to the Pecori-Robinson family of Springfield!! They were the lucky winners of the Edwards Group Kids Guardianship Kit drawing for two season passes to Knights Action Park. The dad, Greg, is a member of the Illinois State Police S.W.A.T. team (Yay for...
Charitable Giving For Regular People
Do you think of yourself as rich? Hopefully you do, but mostly in ways that don’t show up on a tax return. Are you rich in the things that really matter – loving family, good friends, your faith, serving others? Whether or not you think of yourself as a wealthy...
Saving the Family Farm
Effectively planning to protect the family farm requires us to consider at least two types of planning. And the two types involve two different definitions of "save." 1. Does it mean to transfer the farm and protect it from nursing home costs, estate taxes, or other...
Charitable Giving – Do It Wisely and Use Uncle Sam’s Money
As you work on your estate plan, don't forget to consider charitable giving. Here are some basic questions to ask yourself: If I plan to give to charity at death, have I considered just giving during my life instead? Give now, enjoy an income tax deduction and also...
Preparing For the School Bus Accident
If you attend a workshop or meet with me individually, you will probably hear about the “school bus trust”. What is it?
Living Trusts Typically Do Not Provide Asset Protection
I am often asked whether a living trust will protect assets from nursing home costs, lawsuits, or other risks. The general answer is "no." A living trust is designed to help organize your assets and prepare for a time where you may face a disability or when you pass...
Make sure you know What a Will DOESN’T Do
What doesn't a Will accomplish? A will doesn't avoid the probate court's involvement. In fact, it guarantees a probate if you have a certain type or level of assets. Find out more about probate and why people want to avoid it here. A will doesn't protect your assets...