004: Hey, Life Transitions are Normal. Here’s How to Cope With Them.
Release Date: 04/19/2018
185: Are You Risking Everything? The Insurance Your Business Can't Operate Without
Absolute Trust Talk
Many business owners purchase insurance without truly understanding what they're buying or what critical coverage they might be missing. Host Kirsten Howe addresses this knowledge gap by welcoming Dean Myers, owner of Core Insurance Agency, to reveal the fundamental insurance coverage every business owner needs before opening their doors. Dean, who specializes in errors and omissions insurance for lawyers, accountants, doctors, and professional trustees, breaks down the three critical pillars of business insurance: workers' compensation, general liability, and property insurance. ...
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184: From One Direction to No Direction: What Liam Payne's Estate Teaches Us About Planning
Absolute Trust Talk
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, host Kirsten Howe examines the estate complications following One Direction member Liam Payne's tragic death in Argentina in fall 2024. At just 30 years old, Payne left behind a $32 million estate—but no will. His complex assets include performance income, solo artist earnings, brand deals, music publishing rights, and venture investments. Without estate planning, his 8-year-old son Bear becomes the sole intestate heir, inheriting the full amount at age 18. Kirsten analyzes the cascading problems: massive probate fees (at least $376,000 in...
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183: Beyond Borders: International Estate Planning Essentials for Families (Part 3)
Absolute Trust Talk
In this final installment of Absolute Trust Talk's international estate planning series, host Kirsten Howe concludes her conversation with estate planning specialist Janet Brewer, addressing one of the most common cross-border scenarios: U.S. citizens who own property abroad. Janet, with over 30 years of experience serving Silicon Valley's international clientele, explains why simply leaving foreign property to your US trust won't work, since most countries don't recognize trusts at all. This episode highlights the crucial distinction between countries that recognize trusts...
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182: Beyond Borders: International Estate Planning Essentials for Families (Part 2)
Absolute Trust Talk
In this second installment of Absolute Trust Talk's international estate planning series, host Kirsten Howe welcomes back estate planning specialist Janet Brewer to explore advanced strategies for families with cross-border connections. Building on their previous discussion of guardianship challenges, this episode focuses on critical tax considerations and financial hurdles faced by international families. Janet, a certified specialist with over 30 years of experience serving Silicon Valley clients, explains the unique tax opportunities available to visa holders with stock options and RSUs,...
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181: Beyond Borders: International Estate Planning Essentials for Families
Absolute Trust Talk
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, host Kirsten Howe welcomes estate planning specialist Janet Brewer to explore the unique challenges faced by immigrants and international families when planning for their future. Janet, with over 30 years of experience serving clients throughout Silicon Valley, brings her vast knowledge to address the specific concerns of non-resident aliens, visa holders, green card holders, and other international families with U.S.-based assets. As a member of the invitation-only Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Janet regularly prepares estate plans...
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180: Divorce in Progress: Safeguarding Your Estate Plan Before It's Final (Part 2)
Absolute Trust Talk
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, host Kirsten Howe and associate attorney Jessica Colbert continue their discussion on estate planning during divorce proceedings with practical solutions. Following their previous episode on the potential problems that can arise if someone becomes incapacitated or dies during divorce, they now focus on preventative measures. The attorneys explain how to ensure your soon-to-be ex-spouse doesn't maintain control over your healthcare decisions or inherit your assets contrary to your wishes. They discuss the creation of new healthcare directives, powers of...
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179: Divorce in Progress: Safeguarding Your Estate Plan Before It's Final
Absolute Trust Talk
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, host Kirsten Howe and associate attorney Jessica Colbert discuss critical estate planning considerations during divorce proceedings. They explore what happens if someone becomes incapacitated or dies while their divorce is still pending, revealing potentially unwelcome consequences if proper planning isn't in place. The discussion highlights how existing estate plans typically name a spouse as the primary decision-maker and beneficiary—a designation most divorcing individuals would want to change immediately. Without written estate plans, the...
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178: 3 Critical Estate Planning Lessons from Richard Simmons' Legacy Battles
Absolute Trust Talk
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, host Kirsten Howe examines the estate complications following Richard Simmons' death in July 2023. She details the ongoing legal dispute between Simmons' brother Leonard (named trustee) and Teresa, his housekeeper of 30 years who briefly served as co-trustee before a contested resignation. The conflict centers around approximately $1 million in personal property—primarily jewelry—that Teresa allegedly took when evicted from Simmons' home. While Teresa claims Simmons gifted her the jewelry in 2014, Leonard argues documentation proves otherwise....
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177: Inside the Heated Padres Inheritance Feud: What It Teaches Us About Sound Estate Planning
Absolute Trust Talk
In this all-new episode of Absolute Trust Talk, Kirsten Howe and her associates, Jessica Colbert and Ariana Flynn, delve into the complex estate battle surrounding the late San Diego Padres owner, Peter Seidler. The MLB team finds itself at the center of a legal dispute as Seidler's wife, Sheel, contends with his brothers over control of the franchise. With allegations of breached trust, fraud, and self-dealing, the case highlights the intricacies of estate planning for high-net-worth individuals and the potential pitfalls of ambiguous or informal documentation. While largely speculation,...
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176: Behind the Headlines: Gene Hackman's Estate Plan and What We Can Learn
Absolute Trust Talk
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, Kirsten Howe, managing attorney at Absolute Trust Counsel, and associate attorney Jessica Colbert examine the estate of beloved actor Gene Hackman. They meticulously analyze the available court records from Santa Fe County, New Mexico, and contrast them with California's probate procedures. The attorneys skillfully debunk sensationalized headlines about Hackman's will, explaining the mechanics of pour-over wills and why media claims about his children being "cut out" are potentially misleading. While much of the discussion is speculation, they provide...
info_outlineIn this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, Kirsten welcomes Certified Financial Transitionist® Gary Gardner into the studio. As part of the first graduating class of the Financial Transitionist Institute (a division of the Sudden Money Institute) Gary was drawn to the process that uses the “touchy, feely side of the brain,” as he likes to say – guiding clients through the transitions in life on a much higher emotional level.
Gary and Kirsten discuss the unique niche of the financial planning world that is financial transition. Gary highlights the importance of human relationship in this planning process and reveals that it is truly the why behind the what that drives people to cope and move through life transitions in various ways that he has observed over the years. Most importantly, Gary reveals that life transitions, whether the death of a loved one, retirement, a job change, etc., are NORMAL and it’s okay to ask for help to work through them on your own time and on your own terms.
Big Three From Episode # 004:
- Transition, life changes, it’s NORMAL
- Take a break, taking your time is OKAY
- You’re not alone
Time-stamped Show Notes
2:16 – Gary talks about how his approach to financial planning is different from the norm and his evolution into a Certified Financial Transitionist®
3:45 – Implementation in a person’s life much more relevant with this type of coaching
8:09 – Gary shares research into the life transitions a widow goes through with the death of a spouse
10:24 – The spectrum of handling a huge life stressor
14:00 – Gary shares how his specialized approach helps move these transitions along for clients
17:27 – Gary discusses what happens during the first meeting with clients
20:14 – Gary’s number one question he asks his clients –What’s on your mind?
24:11 – Kirsten discusses the estate planning side of the process when working with recently widowed, grieving clients
25:26 – Gary recommends this mindset when approaching transition
27:50 – Gary breaks down the meaning behind DFZ – his resource tool
40:00 – How do you think about your own preparations for death?
Episode # 004 Freebie:
“The next time you find yourself wading through the quick sand I hope you’ll pull up the Decision Free Zone.” – Gary Gardner(CeFT)
No matter which life transition you’re in: whether it be the grieving over the death of a loved one, retirement, significant job change or if you’re just at a point in life where you just don’t know what to do, stop. Take a minute, breath, and pull up this tool. Dump your brain into the Now, Soon, and Later – no matter how silly or minute that thing in your brain might be – and get yourself to a point where you say okay, I can move forward from here.
Resources/Tools/Links Mentioned in this Episode:
Dick Wagner: Financial Planning 3.0: Evolving Our Relationships with Money
David Allen – Getting Things Done
Sudden Money Institute – Susan Bradley