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Giving money to philanthropic causes is important to many of us. Year end giving in particular is popular with both donors and charitable organizations. The most common way to give money for most people is to simply write a check or put a donation on a credit card. The charity then typically sends us a receipt for our donation, and everyone is happy.

Not so fast.

Many people, who have achieved success and wealth through their business, have done so with their intellectual capital. What exactly is intellectual capital? This is the sum of the business’ hidden assets, such as its human resources, knowledge, intellectual property, and all of the client and stakeholder relationships that bring immeasurable value to the company. In essence it is your “secret sauce,” which gives your business its competitive edge. When the recipe is lost or stolen, your business can lose most, if not all of its value.

Inheritances are a complicated thing. Not only are there often strings attached in the eyes of the government, unexpected taxes, and complicated bequeathments, but there are also potential conflicts within families. And not to mention the fact that the potential windfall was the result of a relative's death. Inheritances are very complicated.

The growing demand for more predictability and security planning for retirement income has led an increasing number of retirees and pre-retirees to look to annuities as way to provide more stability in their investment portfolios. They are also looking to annuities as a way to replace the third leg of the retirement income stool as a guaranteed lifetime income. Retirement planning occurs in different phases and at different stages of peoples’ lives. Depending on what stage of life a person is in, there are different kinds of annuities that can be best suited for various situations.

Business owners who have acquired a lot of personal assets face the possibility of having their assets targeted by creditors who want to resolve a business liability. This is especially true in the case of a business owner who guarantees a debt of the business with his personal assets. Although many business owners go through the process of protecting their assets from business liabilities, there are some aspects of asset protection that they may not have considered which could put their assets at risk.

Deferred Annuities have always had appeal as a long term, retirement planning vehicle. Their popularity reached a peak during the high interest rate and high tax rate environment in the 1980’s. Today, they remain an attractive alternative for investors who seek stability and predictability for the retirement assets. The challenge for these investors is how to sift through hundreds of annuity products to find the top deferred annuity most appropriate for them.

No one can predict with any degree of certainty when the next market correction or bear market will occur, or how long it will last. What we do know is that, at eight years and counting, the current bull market has lasted twice as long as the average bull market. It’s safe to assume that investors, who are experienced in the ways of market cycles, have taken measures to prepare their portfolios for the likelihood of a market decline and renewed volatility.

Millennials get a bad rep. Too often does the media say that they’re lazy, unmotivated to work hard, and frivolous with their spending habits. On a weekly basis, absurd articles pop up criticizing lifestyles, going as far as saying that buying avocado toast is the reason so many can’t afford a house… Ridiculous, right?

Most financial planners agree that life insurance is essential for protecting families against financial loss, which is why many recommend purchasing the maximum amount needed at the cheapest cost using a term policy. Where they start to diverge in their thinking is in any discussion about life insurance as an asset. Clearly, term life insurance would not be considered an asset as it is purely a death benefit with no savings element.