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The success or failure of a financial plan is driven by a variety of possible influences. Factors like the right rate of savings, good investment selection, and careful risk management are all important and commonly recognized as elements of a high quality plan. Going a step further and incorporating a well thought out estate plan can turn a good plan into a great plan.

An estate takes lifetimes to build but can be lost in the blink of an eye. Most of us don’t imagine assets that took decades to accumulate being drained in a few short years, but in some cases this is exactly what happens. Here are some of the top risks to an estate and some easy ways to manage those risks.

One of the first lessons of finance we are taught, by our parents or through some basic personal finance course, is to make creating an emergency fund our top priority. Having a reserve of cash equivalent to six to 12 month’s worth of living expenses is considered the most fundamental principal of financial security.

For most of us the conversation isn’t whether or not we’ll need long term care, but rather when. According to the U. S.

Chances are good that if you turn on the prime time news on any given day or pull up your favorite newspaper on your iPad one of the top stories will relate to emerging risks around the world.

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.

The ubiquity of the financial media has Baby Boomers anxiously pinned to their TVs, computers and investment magazines as the so-called experts prognosticate on the coming bear market.   Unquestionably, the stock market is at another crossroads, and its gains over the last several years year belies the concerns that most people have over the economy and the uncertainty that continues

For centuries, family-run businesses have been central to our country’s wealth creation.

Much is written on the “biggest financial mistakes” that people make with helpful tips for avoiding them. We’re used to seeing many common examples of how people can get themselves in trouble through certain activities, such as charging up credit cards, making minimum interest payments, buying cars new rather than used, not shopping auto insurance plans, etc.