November 15, 2018

By: John Zeltmann

Since my Dad's passing earlier this year, my Mom and I have spent countless hours wrapping up his finances.  I thought I'd share my impressions from the past several months, highlighting lessons we learned from bumps in the road they managed to avoid (as well as some they didn't).

March 31, 2018

By: John Zeltmann

My parents' estate planning attorney looked at me in disbelief: "Did you just say 'dry run'?"

My father had passed away ten days ago. My Mom, Sister, Aunt and I were sitting in a meeting room in the attorney’s office, reviewing my Dad's will and the immediate steps that had to be taken. Everyone was still in a bit of shock, reeling from the last few weeks. We had months to grapple with the prospect of life without Dad, but once he was gone, it still felt all too sudden.

March 31, 2018

According to a recent article published in Money¹ magazine, here are some tips to maximize the value of what you donate to charity.

Choose Right

December 31, 2017

By: John Zeltmann

Meet Abby and Ben.  Abby is our 2-year-old daughter.  Readers of this newsletter have already met Ben (5 years old) in a recent article espousing the benefits of teaching personal finance to children at an early age. While Abby and Ben are great kids, there’s at least one thing I’m not ready to hoist upon them should my wife and I meet a premature demise: our retirement plan balances and life insurance proceeds.

Next to the IRS, the most formidable and intimidating institutions people will face are the insurance companies and the medical care complex. Both are at the root of increasing medical costs and both are intent on making sure their bottom lines are forever expanding. Never mind that high medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcies in the U.S.