Financial Planning

Trustee Trouble in Paradise: What Jimmy Buffett’s Estate Dispute Teaches About Fiduciary Duty

When iconic singer and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffett passed away in 2023, he left behind more than just tropical tunes and a laid-back legacy, he left behind a $275 million estate now at the center of a legal storm. The dispute pits his widow, Jane Buffett, against Richard Mozenter, his longtime financial advisor and co-trustee of the Marital Trust established for Jane’s benefit.

Are Nvidia's Earnings Big Enough For You?

Nvidia’s earnings were immense, but the price tag for those earnings is steep. As of August 31, 2025, Nvidia’s market cap made it nearly 8% of the S&P 500 Index. Its last 12 months of earnings were $87 billion, or around 4% of the approximately $2 trillion in total S&P 500 Index earnings.

Stretching Out and Protecting Your Retirement Accounts for Your Children with a Retirement Protector Trust™

A Retirement Protector Trust™ (also commonly known as a Retirement Plan Trust) is a specialized stand-alone revocable trust designed to receive and protect retirement account distributions such as IRAs, 401(k)s, and other qualified accounts upon your death.

Key Tax Provisions of the OBBB (One Big Beautiful Bill)

In a move to preserve key elements of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), as well as introduce new tax policies, lawmakers passed a new piece of legislation: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law by President Trump on Friday, July 4, 2025.

Provisions of the bill either permanently or temporarily extend aspects of the tax code which affect individuals, businesses, and estates. This brings numerous financial planning implications and opportunities.

The Importance of Trust Administration in Estate Planning: Why Consulting an Attorney is Essential

Trust administration is a crucial component of estate planning, ensuring that your assets are properly distributed according to your wishes after your passing. Consulting an experienced estate attorney can provide the necessary expertise to navigate trust administration efficiently and effectively, safeguarding your family's financial future and avoiding costly mistakes.

About Mutual Funds/ETFs and Why We Use Dimensional

There’s no other fund company that I know of that is remotely close to that level of consistent outperformance. It tells me that their scientific statistical based evidence based investing is working very well. It’s wonderful that it shows up in such a big way.

Ignoring the Bumps

There’s an important message here about not overreacting during a downturn—it could be a momentary blip in an otherwise upward climb for the markets. In fact, the Russell 3000 had an intrayear decline of at least 10% in 25 out of 45 years since 1979. In 17 of those 25, the index ended up for the year!

The Survey that Needs to be Written and Read

Do you have an actual plan that looks at all the moving parts of your personal finances and include cash projections that take into account inflation, taxes and market returns including how those elements vary over time? Does your plan include keeping an updated Estate Plan in place?