Remarriage and Estate Planning – Rickard & Associates
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Remarriage and Estate Planning – Rickard & Associates

If you are getting remarried, it is essential to understand your spouse’s inheritance rights.

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Before you get married for a second or third time, you want to be aware of the rights your spouse will have to your estate and vice versa.

You may want to work with an attorney to draft a prenuptial agreement, prior to exchanging vows.

Then, you want to be familiar with the intestacy laws in

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Teaching philosophy in a children’s prison has shown me the meaning of anger | Andy West

One morning when I was 14, I met my older brother as he came out of prison. His frame was more filled-out than normal, after a few months of regular meals. We walked into town and he told me he was serious about not going back inside this time. An hour later, on the high street, the police stopped us and searched him. I knew my brother didn’t want me to protest to the officers. If I did, the police might target me too. Even if they didn’t, I would just be left scolded by my own futile indignation.

What Happens When You Don’t Fund Your Trust?
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What Happens When You Don’t Fund Your Trust?

After you work with your estate planning attorney to draft a carefully tailored estate plan, it is usually your responsibility to “fund” the trust.

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What does funding the trust mean?

Funding the trust is simply transferring assets into your trust.

If you have a trust, you will want to put your assets into the trust, by retitling bank accounts, re-designating beneficiaries of life insurance, etc. We walk our clients through

Are You Prepared for Russian Ransomware?
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Are You Prepared for Russian Ransomware?

Recently, a health network in Pennsylvania was hacked by a Russian ransomware gang called BlackCat.

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BlackCat attacked a physician practice in Pennsylvania, but did not disrupt healthcare operations.

A ransomware payment was demanded, but refused by the healthcare system.

Sensitive information was accessed and the health system revealed the attack itself.

Is your practice prepared for a potential attack?

Does your staff know how to respond to a demand for

How Can I Preserve Wealth for Future Generations?
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How Can I Preserve Wealth for Future Generations?

Some of our clients are interested in preserving wealth for future generations, and in that instance, we sometimes recommend starting a family bank.

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A family bank is an estate planning tactic to help preserve wealth for generations to come. They can be structured in a variety of ways to meet that family’s needs, however, they are intended to help benefit a group of family members.

If our clients give their

How Can I Protect My Children in Estate Planning?
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How Can I Protect My Children in Estate Planning?

Many of our clients have concerns related to their children when planning estates. Concerns can range from making sure they are taken care of financially, choosing appropriate guardians, and more.

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Some of our clients biggest concerns are:

  1. I don’t want my child to blow all the money they inherit right away. We always tell clients the best way to ruin a great kid is by giving them tons of money.
Is the FTC Banning Non-Competes?
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Is the FTC Banning Non-Competes?

Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a rule that will ban many non-compete agreements throughout the country if it is enacted.

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Non-compete agreements are agreements that prevent employees from working in certain industries following employment with their current employer. They are often limited by geographic scope and time.

For example, a non-compete clause may prevent a physician from working in the medical field for one year following …

Want to Keep Top Teachers?  Consider More Flexible Work Arrangements
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Want to Keep Top Teachers? Consider More Flexible Work Arrangements

With the start of a new calendar year comes the desire, some might say pressure, to declare a New Year’s resolution. But its very definition“a promise to do something differently in the new year,” is at odds with the way that school systems typically operate.

It took a global crisis to force immediately, uncomfortable, and immense change in the way schools are running. While remote and hybrid learning during the pandemic were not perfect, they did open educators’ eyes to new ways of teaching. “We realized that there’s far more we can do than we allowed ourselves to do