What’s an Authority and What Makes An Expert?

Retirement is one of the biggest lifestyle changes any of us ever has to face. It can be wonderfully uplifting and rejuvenating, or upsetting, depending on how well you've planned and how accurately you've predicted your needs and wants. The biggest threat to a comfortable retirement is not planning well enough and far enough in advance. Over the years, we've also found that few things are as difficult to think about, and as tempting to put off, as retirement planning. It seems at once overwhelming and unnecessary. But rest assured, it is very necessary. Your financial survival has seldom been at greater risk than it is today. An explosive stock market, stagflation (a recession with rising prices), and a weakened dollar all pose serious threats to your financial future so planning your retirement and estate take some time and effort.

Unfortunately, the designation, Estate Planning Specialist, is rather loosely used by various persons both in and out of the legal profession. Be wary of the person who has some special interest to sell or promote and pushes the do-it-yourself course to the exclusion of a lawyer. The law doesn't prevent your doing it yourself, but the salesman or promoter who wants to avoid the scrutiny of a lawyer is suspect. Only a lawyer is licensed to practice law on your behalf. Anyone who practices law without a license is breaking the law. You may feel that's one-sided, but the system we live in is set up that way and generally works for your protection and in your best interest.

Very little has been written for the layperson on the some times hard-to-understand processes of the law that affect the financial part of his or her life or the lives of loved ones after he or she is gone. Nothing beats the recommendation of the satisfied customer. Whether you attend a seminar, read books, or whatever, when you realize what needs to be done to reasonably assure a safe future for you and your loved ones, your next step will be to see a professional in the field, one we call an Estate Planning Specialist. A specialist can analyze your problem and prepare a plan to serve you best, in a lot less time than the novice.