Estate Planning
Do Grandparents Make Good Parents?
When it comes to guardianship for your kids, who should you pick? Here are qualities to look for when selecting the right person for the role.
September 5, 2023
Trajan's Tactical Tips
A blog for everyday financial tips, Trajan news updates, and more
Estate Planning
Estate Planning and Summer Travels
When we head off on our summer travels, we often leave behind our responsibilities and worries, seeking enjoyment and relaxation instead. However, this doesn’t mean that we can completely disregard our future and the well-being of our loved ones. Just as we take steps to plan our vacations meticulously, we must also take steps to plan our estates properly.
August 3, 2023
Estate Planning
Estate Planning and Independence
In estate planning, we often talk about gifts and gifting, typically within the context of money, assets, and taxes. Kent Phelps, attorney and Trajan Estate CEO, believes that our values are the most important gifts we can give our heirs. Among these, the gift of work ranks as one of the most valuable. Phelps shares his story here.
July 17, 2023
Estate Planning
Giving Our Children the Gift of Work
In estate planning, we often talk about gifts and gifting, typically within the context of money, assets, and taxes. Kent Phelps, attorney and Trajan Estate CEO, believes that our values are the most important gifts we can give our heirs. Among these, the gift of work ranks as one of the most valuable. Phelps shares his story here.
June 13, 2023
Estate Planning
Honoring the Women in Our Lives by Preserving Their Legacy
From the cradle, I’ve been blessed with the constant influence of many strong women in my life. Wendy (my wife of 33 years), three daughters, my mom, six sisters, grandmothers
May 9, 2023
Estate Planning
The In-N-Out Burger Story – Proving the Power of Planning – Part II
This is the second of a two-part series on succession planning lessons we can learn from the In-N-Out Burger story. The Power of Legacy Planning In 1989, Esther Snyder established
April 17, 2023
Estate Planning
The In-N-Out Burger Story: Proving the Power of Planning, Part I
In-N-Out has found a way to thrive in spite of family dysfunction, self-destructive behavior, untimely deaths, a limited gene pool, and leadership by the very young or the very old by necessity.
The In-N-Out story demonstrates the power of planning. Without such planning, the fast food chain we all know and love, would very likely not be what it is today.
March 17, 2023
Estate Planning
3 Lessons Learned From the Presley Trust
All too often, the death of a celebrity is a cautionary tale when it comes to getting our affairs in order. Priscilla Presley (Elvis’s ex-wife and Lisa Marie’s mom) already filed a lawsuit four days after she buried her daughter to remove Lisa Marie’s oldest daughter as trustee.
In Lisa Marie’s case, we can learn from some wise planning going back to Elvis, as well as some things that could have been done better.
February 14, 2023
Estate Planning
Why You Need An Estate Plan
No one wants to think about their own death, yet none of us will live forever. Creating an estate plan is an unpleasant but necessary part of being a responsible adult. We can’t know when our time is up, but we can control whether we help our loved ones or leave them with a financial mess.
February 6, 2023
Estate Planning
Gifting With Purpose
Gifting to your loved ones while you’re alive can be a beautiful gesture – plus, it offers you a unique opportunity to observe and assess how they handle money. What’s more, there’s an important question around this type of gifting – how much can be gifted without paying gift taxes?
January 19, 2023