008: Financial Planning for Families with Special Needs Individuals
Release Date: 05/15/2018
141: Managing Real Estate Assets as a Trustee
Absolute Trust Talk
Managing a trust can be challenging, especially when it involves real estate assets. In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, host Kirsten Howe welcomes Karen Fisher, founder of Bishop Fiduciary Services, and Kathy Rodriguez, a licensed professional fiduciary and co-trustee with Bishop Fiduciary Services. Together, we will explore the complexities of life estates and trustee responsibilities and the essential steps for protecting and maintaining real estate assets, from securing insurance and handling maintenance to addressing unique challenges faced by elderly inhabitants. Karen and Kathy also...
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140: Navigating Trust Complexities: The Family Home Dilemma
Absolute Trust Talk
To all of our local Bay Area listeners, you may have heard about the recent story of a three-bedroom house listed for $488,000 in San Francisco’s Russian Hill with a tenant renting it for only $417 a month. How is that even possible?! If you’re as intrigued as we are, stick with us for this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, where we will be dissecting this situation with associate attorney Jessica Colbert. Listen in as we explore crucial lessons in trust management, the impact of California's Prop 19 on property taxes, and the importance of updating estate plans as circumstances change....
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139: Optimizing Your Portfolio with Alternative Investments
Absolute Trust Talk
We’ve all heard the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs into one basket,” which rings true for building your portfolio. The ideal portfolio consists of more than stocks and bonds – it includes Alternative Investments, like real estate, drilling funds, and value adds. In this episode of Absolute Trust Counsel, certified financial planner Miguel Delgado joins us for a third installment of our financial planning discussion to take a deep dive into this invaluable topic. Together, we’ll discuss the benefits of Alternative Investments, the different types, how to qualify, and how you can...
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138: Beyond Profits: Tackling Key Issues for Business Longevity
Absolute Trust Talk
In our latest episode, we welcome back Miguel Delgado, Senior Wealth Advisor at Legacy Wealth Management. Miguel previously offered an excellent inside look at financial planning for small businesses, and his insights were so valuable that we knew we had to have him on again. This time, we're diving deeper into the challenges that businesses often face, challenges that might need to be added to your radar. For instance, how can you improve employee retention? And for all the business owners out there, do you have a buy-sell agreement in place in case a co-owner decides to exit the business?...
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137: Maximize Your Wealth: Expert Financial Strategies for Business Owners
Absolute Trust Talk
Are you a business owner or partner? If so, you don’t want to miss this episode of Absolute Trust Talk! We’re exploring all things financial planning for business owners so you can transform your business success into personal wealth. Joining us is Miguel Delgado, Senior Wealth Advisor at Legacy Wealth Management, who specializes in tax minimization, asset protection, and fulfilling personal passions. Together, we’ll discuss ways you can maximize your savings, secure your assets, and plan for a successful, stress-free retirement. You can even apply some of these tips to your plan today,...
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136: Guardianship Explained: Essential Insights for Effective Estate Planning
Absolute Trust Talk
Have you ever considered what would happen to your children if you passed away? It can be daunting and hard to think about; no one wants to plan for the possibility where they aren’t around to see their kids grow up. We often talk to clients who follow that old superstition that if they don’t think about it, then it won’t happen to them, so why plan, right? In our opinion, that isn’t the best course of action. While it's rare for a child to lose both parents and be taken in by a guardian, it does happen, and it's crucial to be prepared. Fortunately, guardianship is an element you can...
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135: Character Matters Part 2: Estate Planning for Community Property vs. Separate Property
Absolute Trust Talk
If you missed the first episode of our "Character Matters" mini-series, we discussed the differences between Community and Separate Property and why the "character" of your assets matters in estate planning. As a quick recap: Separate Property includes assets owned before marriage or received as gifts or inheritances during marriage, while Community Property consists of assets acquired during the marriage. Now, as we start Part Two, we're delving into the deeper details of property types and how specifically to estate plan for each of them. Join us as we explore important topics such as...
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134: Character Matters Part 1: Understanding Community Property in Divorce and Estate Planning
Absolute Trust Talk
Did you know that in California, any property acquired while married is considered Community Property? This means that, regardless of who bought it, the ownership is split 50/50 in the case of divorce. It also means that if you die without valid estate planning documents, your spouse automatically receives 100% of the ownership. If we’re talking about Separate Property, that’s a slightly different story, and of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. This episode of Absolute Trust Talk kicks off our Character Matters series, where we’re diving deep into the important...
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133: From Wheels to Waves: How to Fund Your Trust with Cars, Boats, or Mobile Home Assets
Absolute Trust Talk
When it comes to funding your trust with assets like cars, mobile homes, and boats, it can get a little complicated and confusing. For instance, do you know whether or not you need to retitle your cars to your trust? And when it comes to mobile homes, before you can even determine whether you should retitle it, you must first know if it’s registered as a vehicle or a home. And what’s recommended for cars and mobile homes differs completely from boats. In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, we explore these topics in detail to answer some of our most commonly asked questions so you can be...
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132: Trust Funding in a Digital World: Safeguarding Virtual Wealth
Absolute Trust Talk
One area of estate planning that is largely overlooked is funding the trust. The first step is developing the trust. The second step is ensuring that all the assets you want included are properly transferred over as needed. This can be especially difficult in today’s digital-driven world because there are more and more places where funds can be stored away. Thanks to the advent of the internet and digital banking, funds are no longer just kept in savings accounts and piggy banks. Instead, they are spread across various apps, like Venmo and PayPal, stored in digital savings, like Capital One...
info_outlineIn this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, Kirsten welcomes special needs financial planning expert Jon Elfin into the studio. Jon has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry and focuses on processes and expertise to help clients understand their options and more importantly take action when it comes to building and preserving wealth for families with special needs dependents.
Jon and Kirsten break down what exactly special needs planning encompasses and discuss the processes that Jon goes through with each of his clients. More importantly, Jon discusses a few of the biggest mistakes he sees when clients come into his practice and also highlights effective strategies that a special needs family can take now in securing the future of their dependents. As Jon is also a parent of a special needs child, throughout the interview he weaves in topics of transitional life experience from his own personal perspective.
Big Three From Episode #008:
- Start early
- Don’t be overwhelmed
- Utilize your resources!
Time-stamped Show Notes:
1:50 – What exactly is Special Needs Planning?
2:48 – How Jon got into Special Needs Planning
4:00 – The complexities of Special Needs Planning
7:00 – Jon highlights common mistakes he’s come across in his practice when working with clients
8:05 – Jon and Kirsten discuss a few of the biggest benefits/acronyms that people miss
10:42 – Kirsten discusses Special Needs Planning from the estate planning point of view and a special provision that should be put in all estate plans
11:37 – Jon addresses why ages 18 and 22 are important ages for special needs people
13:30 – Jon defines “transition class” and its extreme importance
15:35 – What a regional center is and how it helps special needs families plan the next step.
16:20 – Don’t leave all the money for a special needs family member to a sibling!
20:14 – A special needs person can save money in these accounts too – Big win for the disability community
25:15 – The other important strategy for special needs individuals according to Jon is life insurance
Episode #008 Freebie:
No matter where you are in your journey as a special needs family know that there are things that can be done to help build and protect the future of your special needs dependent. During this episode, Jon mentioned a few of the common mistakes well-intentioned special needs families make. To help educate listeners on what to look for he outlined and is exclusively sharing with us a few more! In addition, Jon is also offering a FREE 90-minute consultation. So if you’re a special needs parent or caretaker who is worried or doesn’t know where to start, call Jon. He will cover all of the basics and see if he can be of further service in making your special needs life transitions go as smoothly as possible.
Resources/Tools/Links mentioned in this episode:
Disability benefits 101 - https://ca.db101.org/