19. We have built a very successful business but feel we have not adequately prepared to financially safeguard our business from the loss of an owner or key employee. In addition, we want to do whatever is financially feasible to retain our key employees which are so important to the success of our business, as well as take into consideration the succession transition of our company, and potential estate taxes due to the death of an owner. Can you provide any solutions for these objectives?

12. My wife and I have a strong desire to give from our abundance to our favorite Christian ministries and charities while we are alive, as well as at our deaths. What should we consider in this effort, what are some appropriate ways to structure these gifts, and is there a way to reposition some of our assets to more effectively maximize our gifts?

9. We're concerned about the new 10-year distribution rule for non-spousal inherited IRAs, which can result in significant taxes on our heirs. We want to minimize taxes and leave a tax-efficient legacy to our beneficiaries. What's the best way to handle these assets?

5. We know there is a potential income cliff when one of us dies, which is reflected by a drop in our income from a reduction in our Social Security and Defined Benefit Pension incomes. How much would the annual Income Cliff be upon each of our deaths, and how can we protect our incomes? (particularly my wife's if I were to die first)

17. We have some older annuities and life insurance policies that we haven't really looked at in years, and quite frankly we don't really know or understand what we have? Would it make sense to have a review performed to determine if more modern contracts and policies could fulfill our objectives more efficiently?

7. As we age, we worry about the financial and emotional toll of long-term care. Many have bought traditional LTC insurance, but it's now too expensive, and one of us can't qualify. Are there other options to cover LTC costs and ease the burden on our family, while retaining our assets if not needed for LTC?

11. We are fortunate to have a reasonably high net worth (over $5,000,000) and IRA assets over $1,000,000, therefore, we are concerned about the potential legacy transfer taxation on these assets. (Which could be over 60% with income and estate taxes, as the personal exemption is scheduled to drop from over $12,000,000 to $5,000,000 in 2026). What can we do to eliminate this concern and maximize the benefit from these assets to our heirs?

18. If we already have a Medicare Supplement plan, which are identical plans regardless of the carrier, and we are in reasonably good health, should we analyze the cost each year to determine if it would make sense to change to a less expensive plan?

1. We have been told that everyone has an estate plan, either our own or the government's, which is the Probate Court. Since we have heard some nightmare stories about the stress and expense of the probate process, could we benefit from a conversation about our current estate plan and could we learn something we didn't know?

4. My wife and I are looking to retire in the near future, but aren't sure whether or not we are in a financial position to do so. We would like to know if we can meet our monthly income goal so that we can continue our current lifestyle, and if not, what would be our likely Income Gap? If we have a gap, what can we could do to eliminate it.

10. Since we don't really need the RMD's (Required Minimum Distributions) for income that we are forced to take by the government, are there ways we can use our RMD's dollars more effectively, even if we have some health issues? How can we protect and continue to grow our wealth—while also planning for RMDs and passing on a legacy to our family?

2. Is there a simpler and easier way to create the high-quality estate planning documents that are important for us to have, and at a lower cost than going to an attorney?

14. Currently we don't need additional retirement income, however, as we age that may not be the case. If we want to generate guaranteed lifetime income for a later date, is there some way to do this using some of our IRA assets without paying taxes on any distributions?

8. We have increasingly become concerned about the potential for higher taxes in the future which could affect our retirement income, and are considering a Roth conversion for some of our qualified assets. Would this make sense, since our primary objective would be to eliminate RMDs, reduce taxes over the long term, and maximize retirement income? We are also concerned about the taxes we would have to pay on the conversion.

16. We are in a situation where we could use some additional guaranteed lifetime income starting right away. What could we do to solve this problem?

15. We have a desire for a very safe and guaranteed investment return over the next 3 to 5 years with a bit higher interest rate. Do you have any recommendations that would meet this criteria and still pay a higher rate than a CD?

3. We own property in different states, which potentially could cause us to go thru the probate process in each of the states. This is not something we want to do, therefore, how can we avoid this?

13. As grandparents, we’d like to provide monetary gifts to our grandchildren while we're still alive, as well as an inheritance when we die. How can we do that so that it is both meaningful and memorable?

6. We have a sizeable portion of our assets invested in the market and are concerned about what a major downturn would do to our cash flow and the possibility we would eventually run out of money before our deaths. Should we consider taking a portion of our assets out of the market and re-position them into something safer that would generate guaranteed lifetime income?