Estate Planning in Most States Allows for Lump Sum to Those Turning Majority Age

Do you know what happens to your estate or the disposition of your assets if you die without a will or other legal documents regarding how your estate should be settled?

In the absence of any legal arrangements, the laws of most jurisdictions provide for the outright distribution of an inheritance to a child who is at or beyond the age of majority (e.g., age 18 in most jurisdictions). Children, who are under the age of majority, receive their lump sum inheritance upon reaching that age. You worked hard to accumulate your wealth, so take some time to protect any inheritance you may leave for your children and from them until they are mature enough to make those decisions. Because here is a common occurrence: Following an outright distribution to your children, the full inheritance may fall prey to such common threats as divorces, lawsuits, bankruptcies or squandering.

The caring thing to do for your family is to start planning for the inevitable and help protect your children and the estate you left behind. Proper planning especially helps young adults make wiser choices with their money than most adults their age. Show your family how much you care by planning properly for the way your assets should be managed. Don’t have your heirs curse you for your lack of proper planning.

If you are unsure on how to proceed, our advice is for you to interview 2-3 estate attorneys or better yet get a referral from someone you trust.

iSteward is Brand of Stewardship Matters, Inc.

iSteward is associated with financial services and online private portal for individuals to track and gather all financial assets online and monitor them. iSteward includes financial planning software for clients of Stewardship Matters. Those that desire to have someone advocate for them or for others will find this tool very comprehensive. The backbone of the platform has been around since 1999.

iSteward is registered with the State of Florida.

Biblical Stewardship Quotes Leading to Proper Perspective

“Let me assume the role of eternal financial counselor and offer this advice: choose your investments carefully; compare their rates of interest; consider their ultimate trustworthiness; especially compare how they will be working for you a few million years from now.” -Randy Alcorn

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” -Winston Churchill

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” -Jim Elliot

“The only antidote I can find in the Scriptures for greed and materialism is letting loose and giving what God has given you to help other people. If you do not release what God has entrusted to you, it will wrap its arms around your throat.” -Chip Ingram

“The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” -William James

“I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still posses.” -Martin Luther

“We always pay dearly for chasing after what is cheap.” -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“The less I spent on myself, the more I gave to others, the fuller of happiness and blessing did my soul become.” -Hudson Taylor

“Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.” -A.W. Tozer

Financial Planning 2013 Benefits to You

Our planning process can help you achieve your financial dreams.

1) Project Your Goals: Where you want to be. Education, Retirement, Future Plans

2) Evaluate Assets: What you have. Investments, Accounts, Real Estate

3) Perform Gap Analysis: What you need. managing cash flow, insurance, assets allocation, savings plans, tax strategies, annuities options, risk tolerance, governmental plans, address personal values and their relation to investments

4) Provide Options: How to get there. detailed recommendations, comprehensive written reports, private financial web page iSteward

5) Implement Strategies: Activate the plan. asset allocation, tax strategies, estate planning, charitable planning, and Social Security claiming strategies

6) Monitor Plan: Optimize to achieve goals. performance thresholds, risk audit, automated alarms, periodic evaluations.

We start by helping you identify your goals and evaluate where you are relative to those goals. We evaluate your options and recommend strategies to get you where you want to be. We don’t stop there. We help you implement the recommendations. Then, we continually monitor your financial situation to ensure you remain on track to achieve your financial dreams. The ability to track and monitor and create alerts is the biggest difference than when I started doing this process in 1986.

Below is a short video that shares more on this process and what it looks like for you including a glimpse into iSteward.

ICE: In Case of Emergency Contact Methods

There are three key ways ICE or In Case of Emergency is being utilized today.

1) Wallet or purse ICE card. Great because we do not always have a phone with us and even then batteries go down. Contact Jane at 123-456-7890 Allergic to bees

2) Place dash and then the letters ice -ICE so this contact shows up a t the top of your contacts. -ICE Mary and -ICE David and -ICE Joan. Some add a sticker on back of phone with ICE printed.

3) you could use an app like iEmergency+ from Apple to download and have information placed in the APP to get rapid response teams more inform as to medical conditions.

I shared this with a friend of mine and she told me one of her best friends was at a hospital for 5 hours and nobody knew who she was or what to do next as she was in a coma. This could have great helped for responders, friends and especially the one needing proper attention.

What is PPP or Partnership for Philanthropic Planning?

PPP is also known as the old National Planned Giving Council. Currently there are 110 chapters around the country promoting planned gifts. What are planned gifts? Simple bequest are the most common of planned gifts. Adding a charity to IRA beneficiary or including in your will or trust some of the proceeds to benefit your favorite causes and naming those charities you love is a planned gift.

The current president of PPP or Partnership for Philanthropic Planning was here in town this week and it was my honor to spend time with him and hear him share the main functions of PPP with a local chapter. Advocacy is major reason to be a part of something bigger and the national PPP provides influence and education for lawmakers. Research is another competent.

Better yet let me share what drives it all the ENDS Policies- the follow is taken directly from www.pppnet.org Strategic Plan section.

ENDS Policies

The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning has defined the following desired outcomes or “Ends Policies” as critical components of mission acheivement. These Ends guide all activities of the Partnership.

1. The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning is the voice of charitable gift and estate planning.

Definition: The Partnership is recognized by charitable gift planners, financial and estate planning professionals, the media, legislators, regulators, fundraisers, nonprofit administrators, allied professional organizations, donors, and the public as the spokes-organization and standard setter for philanthropic planning .

The end is achieved when: Partnership guidelines and standards are widely used by charitable gift planners and well respected by all key constituencies. The Partnership is the first place that charitable gift planners, financial and estate planning professionals, the media, legislators, regulators, fundraisers, nonprofit administrators, allied professional organizations, donors, and the public go for information on charitable gift planning. The Partnership is always consulted when legislation or regulation affecting charitable planning is considered.

2. Charitable gift planning is widely recognized as bringing value to charitable organizations and financial and estate planning practices.

Definition: Charitable gift planning is recognized and respected by charitable gift planners, financial and estate planning professionals, the media, legislators, regulators, fundraisers, nonprofit administrators, allied professional organizations, donors, and the public as a professional expertise. The public recognizes the term “charitable gift planner.”

The end is achieved when: Charitable gift planners and donor advisors value each other as teammates in the charitable gift planning process. Charities include and value gift planners as a part of their development teams. Membership in the Partnership is recognized as evidence of commitment to gift planning professionalism.

3. Charitable gift planning is widely practiced.

Definition: Americans at all income and asset levels engage in philanthropic planning. Every fundraiser and donor advisor has at least a basic familiarity with planned giving options and presents these options to all donors, prospects and clients.

The end is achieved when: The number of planned gift donors is equal to the number of people who support charity during their lifetime. Charitable organizations are able to measure a steady increase in the number of planned gifts committed and realized. All donor advisors ask clients about their philanthropic goals.

4. Charitable gift planners are well-trained and competent.
Definition: Fundraisers and donor advisors plan charitable gifts competently and ethically.

Donors have meaningful charitable giving experiences.

The end is achieved when: There is general agreement regarding the skills, knowledge and experience required for competence in charitable gift planning. Fundraisers and donor advisors have a wide variety of options for acquiring and maintaining skills, knowledge and experience. The number of public complaints about poorly structured gift plans or incompetent/unethical gift planners steadily decreases.

5. Local planned giving councils are vibrant, healthy and well-supported by the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning.

Definition: The Partnership and its affiliated planned giving councils work together to forward the mission of the organization. Partnership councils have a reputation for organizational excellence because of their leadership infrastructure, program quality and community involvement.

The end is achieved when: Both the number of planned giving councils and the number of council members is steadily increasing, and at least 75% of members belong to both a local council and the Partnership. Councils rate the Partnership’s services as essential to their leadership infrastructure, program quality and community outreach. All councils have strong participation by both nonprofit and for-profit gift planners.

Strategies

The ability of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning to be successful in achieving its Ends and ultimately, its mission, depends upon successful accomplishment of the following key priorities:

1) Engaging all of the constituencies critical to the philanthropic planning process
2) Providing unique programs and services
3) Implementing successful models of collaboration and partnership
4) Creating brand awareness and support

iSteward: 8 Key Attributes

iSteward is a personal financial web page just for you. Here the 8 key attributes of iSteward:

Organize-all your financial accounts and information

Simplify-see everything in one place

Up To Date- your accounts are updated daily

Monitor-track your financial progress

Store- your valuable documents

Access- 24/7 private access

Bottom Line- view your net worth everyday

Secure- highest security protection

Below is a video you can watch that further explains iSteward and how it can accomplish the above 8 key attributes and more. It’s titled “What’s In A Number?”