Archive for June, 2019

Fiduciary duty is of the utmost importance for us at Mission – in fact, it is our mission to ensure that our clients’ best interests are protected. The segregation of client assets from corporate assets is one of the ways we protect clients’ best interests. Mission maintains and routinely tests its own internal controls and [...]

Ever wonder how financial professionals account for your assets? Every financial institution has an operations team (the “back office”) that accounts for every cent in your account. At Mission, our Operations team is local, personal and accessible. We have two full-time staff members that take a hands-on approach to posting and balancing the daily transactions [...]

You have what it takes to be the trustee of your trust. You are responsible and sensitive to the needs of your trust’s beneficiaries. You understand business and investments. You can easily manage your trust assets. You assumed the role of trustee without much thought and it’s been an easy experience. Remember, however, that it [...]

Naming a family member or friend as your trustee may be the simplest choice, but it may not always be the best choice. Before you decide who will protect your assets—family member, friend, financial advisor or a professional trustee—consider these questions and answers carefully. Can the person devote the necessary time and attention to your [...]

We unfortunately keep seeing examples of public figures not getting an estate plan in place.  Aretha Franklin is the most recent example, even though family circumstances, such as a special needs son and accumulated assets, suggested it was critical to complete the planning.  Now all her business will be public and her family will have [...]

Being responsible for someone else’s affairs under powers of attorney is a lot of work.  If you are being asked to serve as agent under power of attorney, ask yourself these three questions:   Are you able to drop everything, perhaps for weeks or months, and make crisis medical decisions? Do you have the emotional [...]

Parents with a child with special needs have additional considerations in their estate planning.  Who steps in to care for the adult daughter or son with special needs when the parents are gone?  This article highlights important factors in that decision.  Mission can be part of the solution by serving as the corporate trustee for [...]

True Story:  Neighbors found a man in his 70’s who has dementia wandering the neighborhood with his shotgun.  The family and neighbors were fortunate that nothing had happened, but it is a clear call to action.  Will you wait until it is too late to take action to keep your family members and friends safe? [...]

Last year, E*Connect featured a story that went viral at the NextAvenue.org site:  “Sorry, Nobody Wants Your Parents Stuff.”  The writer returns with suggestions for Boomers about how they can deal with their stuff using a legacy-based approach.  Some of us at Mission are working on this, too! NextAvenue.org

Congress enacted the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act in 2014 to allow people with disabilities to save for disability related expenses while maintaining eligibility for Supplemental Social Security.  Here is a summary on who can set up these accounts. ElderLawAnswers.com