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	<title>Frisco Financial Planning LLC</title>
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	<link>http://www.ffplan.com</link>
	<description>Financial planner, CFP, in Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen and Dallas-Fort Worth Texas</description>
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		<title>Portability of Basic Exclusion Amount between Spouses</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/21/portability-of-basic-exclusion-amount-between-spouses/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/21/portability-of-basic-exclusion-amount-between-spouses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:00:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1153</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Transfers of property during life or at death are generally subject to federal gift or estate taxes. Each taxpayer has an applicable exclusion amount, which is the amount of property that can be sheltered from federal gift and estate taxes by the unified credit. Prior to 2011, each spouse was entitled to his or her [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" src="http://www.forefieldkt.com/images/NES-Portability0911_02.jpg" alt="" width="170" height="170" />Transfers of property during life or at death are generally subject to federal gift or estate taxes. Each taxpayer has an applicable exclusion amount, which is the amount of property that can be sheltered from federal gift and estate taxes by the unified credit.</p>
<p>Prior to 2011, each spouse was entitled to his or her own applicable exclusion amount, and any amount that a spouse did not use was lost, absent special planning.</p>
<p>But, thanks to legislation passed in 2010, the estate of the first spouse to die can now elect to transfer any basic exclusion amount that is not used to the surviving spouse. This is known as &#8220;portability.&#8221; For 2011 and 2012, the applicable exclusion amount is redefined as equal to the sum of the basic exclusion amount of the surviving spouse and the unused basic exclusion amount of the last deceased spouse. For 2011 and 2012, the basic exclusion amount is $5 million (plus indexing in 2012).</p>
<p>Portability of the exclusion between spouses and an increase in the basic exclusion amount would seem to make estate planning easier for many estates. However, unless extended by Congress, in 2013, portability of the unused basic exclusion amount between spouses is set to expire and the exclusion is scheduled to decrease to $1 million.</p>
<p><strong>Simple planning with portability</strong><br />
If you&#8217;re planning today, you could transfer everything to your spouse and, if you die in 2011 or 2012, your estate can elect to transfer your unused basic exclusion amount to your surviving spouse. Your spouse will then have an applicable exclusion amount equal to the sum of his or her own basic exclusion amount and your unused basic exclusion amount, which your spouse can use for gift or estate tax purposes. For example, if you transfer your $5 million unused basic exclusion to your surviving spouse, who also has a $5 million basic exclusion amount, your spouse then has a $10 million applicable exclusion amount to shelter property from gift and estate taxes. Such simple planning might be very practical for some married couples, especially where the spouses&#8217; combined estates are expected to be less than the applicable exclusion amount.</p>
<p><strong>Potential need for more complex planning</strong><br />
There are a number of reasons why such simple planning with portability may not produce the desired or best results. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Portability is set to expire in 2013, and tax rates are scheduled to increase while the applicable exclusion amount is set to decrease.</li>
<li>You have family members or individuals other than your spouse that you would like to benefit prior to the death of your spouse.</li>
<li>You have grandchildren or younger generations that you would like to benefit. The $5 million generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption is not portable between spouses (and is scheduled to decrease to $1 million as indexed in 2013).</li>
<li>State exclusion amounts may be lower than the federal applicable exclusion amount and may not be portable between spouses.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Use of A/B trust arrangement</strong><br />
Prior to the 2010 legislation, many married couples with estates that were greater than the applicable exclusion amount would set up an A/B (or A/B/C) trust arrangement. In general, the first spouse to die would transfer an amount equal to the applicable exclusion amount to the &#8220;B&#8221; or credit shelter (bypass) trust. The B trust could benefit the surviving spouse and their children, but the B trust would be designed to bypass the surviving spouse&#8217;s estate. The balance of the estate would be transferred to the surviving spouse, either outright or by using an &#8220;A&#8221; marital trust, and qualify for the marital deduction. In some cases, a &#8220;C,&#8221; &#8220;Q,&#8221; or QTIP marital trust was also used if the first spouse to die wanted to control who received the marital trust property at the second spouse&#8217;s death. The A/B trust arrangement typically assured that there would be no estate tax at the first spouse&#8217;s death and that neither spouse&#8217;s applicable exclusion amount was wasted.</p>
<p>An A/B trust arrangement may still be useful whether or not portability is available. For example, the B trust can assure that the applicable exclusion amount of the first spouse to die is not lost, even if portability is not available in the future. The B trust can be used to provide for family members or individuals other than your spouse (and even your spouse) prior to the death of your spouse. You could also allocate your GST tax exemption or state exclusion to the B trust. The A trust could use your spouse&#8217;s applicable exclusion amount, GST tax exemption, and state exclusion.</p>
<p><strong>Review estate plans and documents</strong><br />
Your documents and plans may need to be revised to reflect the tax changes for 2011 and 2012 and for the uncertainty for 2013 and beyond. To help guide you through these opportunities and uncertain times, consult an experienced estate planning attorney.</p>
<p>Copyright Forefield Inc.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Could You Handle a Financial Windfall?</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/14/could-you-handle-a-financial-windfall/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/14/could-you-handle-a-financial-windfall/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:00:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Behavioral Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1148</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Receiving a financial windfall is often a life-changing event. It&#8217;s a relatively common one, too. You might never win the lottery, but the odds are that at some point you&#8217;ll receive a significant amount of money, perhaps from an inheritance, bonus, insurance settlement, or the sale of a home or business. If so, would you [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" src="http://www.forefieldkt.com/images/NSS-FinWindQ311_02.jpg" alt="" width="170" height="170" />Receiving a financial windfall is often a life-changing event. It&#8217;s a relatively common one, too. You might never win the lottery, but the odds are that at some point you&#8217;ll receive a significant amount of money, perhaps from an inheritance, bonus, insurance settlement, or the sale of a home or business. If so, would you be prepared for the financial decisions you might suddenly face?</p>
<p><strong>Proceed with caution</strong><br />
The first thing you&#8217;ll want to do after receiving a large sum of money is to take a deep breath. You may feel the urge to spend, invest, move, quit your job, or give to others. But if you want your windfall to last, don&#8217;t do anything until you&#8217;ve had a chance to come to terms with the personal and financial consequences. Regrettably, some people who suddenly come into money lose it all within a few years because they fail to plan. Taking the time to make well-thought-out financial decisions will help ensure that your money will last.</p>
<p><strong>Put your money somewhere temporarily</strong><br />
Until you&#8217;ve had time to explore your options, there&#8217;s nothing wrong with putting a lump sum into a relatively liquid account, such as a savings or money market account. You don&#8217;t have to leave it there forever&#8211;just set it aside until you&#8217;ve had time to formulate a plan.</p>
<p><strong>Assemble a support team</strong><br />
Because your finances are likely going to be a lot more complex now, one of the first things you should do is to get unbiased advice from a financial professional who can help you put together a financial plan. You may also need to work with an accountant, an attorney, or an insurance professional who can help address any tax, estate planning, or insurance planning concerns. Although receiving a windfall should be a happy event, it&#8217;s sometimes very stressful, and you may need help from trusted professionals to help you handle the pressure.</p>
<p><strong>Avoid spending and giving impulsively</strong><br />
Spend or give your money away too quickly and you risk depleting your nest egg. Although it&#8217;s tempting to go out and buy something you&#8217;ve always wanted but couldn&#8217;t afford before, watch your spending. A financial windfall can turn even a financially conservative person into an impulsive shopper. If your ultimate goal is to create lasting wealth, take time to consider your future needs, not just what you need (and want) today.</p>
<p>What about giving or loaning money to family and friends, or making a charitable donation? Again, it&#8217;s best to wait until you&#8217;ve set priorities and developed a financial plan. Otherwise, your personal relationships could suffer (will your sister be hurt if you give $10,000 to your brother?), and your generosity might have unintended consequences (will you be approached by dozens of charities once you donate to one?).</p>
<p>Watch out for too-good-to-be-true opportunities<br />
Unfortunately, more than one person has become the target of unscrupulous individuals looking to profit from the good fortune of others. And even if you&#8217;re approached by a well-meaning friend, family member, or business associate, you should thoroughly investigate any investment or business opportunities presented, instead of relying on someone else&#8217;s judgment. If you have trouble saying no, consider referring any requests you receive to a third party, such as an attorney or financial professional you&#8217;re working with.</p>
<p><strong>Look at your financial needs and goals</strong><br />
An important part of handling a financial windfall is to evaluate your short- and long-term needs and goals. This will serve as a foundation for your financial plan.</p>
<ul>
<li>Do you have enough money set aside in an emergency account?</li>
<li>Do you have outstanding debt that you&#8217;d like to pay off?</li>
<li>Do you plan to pay for your children&#8217;s education?</li>
<li>Do you need to bolster your retirement savings?</li>
<li>Are you planning to buy a first or second home?</li>
<li>Would you like to quit your job or go into business for yourself?</li>
<li>Are you considering giving or loaning money to loved ones or donating to a favorite charity?</li>
<li>What would you like to accomplish with your wealth over time?</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Have a little fun</strong><br />
Once you&#8217;ve made some initial decisions and set aside money needed to pay taxes, consider spending a small portion of your windfall on something you&#8217;d like. There&#8217;s no reason to deprive yourself, as long as you&#8217;ve taken care of business first. If you plan well and control the urge to spend lavishly, your windfall may provide you with financial security and comfort for many years to come.</p>
<p>Copyright Forefield, Inc.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>In-Service Withdrawals from 401(k) Plans</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/07/in-service-withdrawals-from-401k-plans/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/07/in-service-withdrawals-from-401k-plans/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Retirement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1144</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You may be familiar with the rules for putting money into a 401(k) plan. But are you familiar with the rules for taking your money out? Federal law limits the withdrawal options that a 401(k) plan can offer. But a 401(k) plan may offer fewer withdrawal options than the law allows, and may even provide [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" src="https://www.forefieldkt.com/images/TP-RT-33_01.jpg" alt="" width="112" height="170" />You may be familiar with the rules for putting money into a 401(k) plan. But are you familiar with the rules for taking your money out? Federal law limits the withdrawal options that a 401(k) plan can offer. But a 401(k) plan may offer fewer withdrawal options than the law allows, and may even provide that you can&#8217;t take any money out at all until you leave employment. However, many 401(k) plans are more flexible.</p>
<p><strong>First, consider a plan loan</strong><br />
Many 401(k) plans allow you to borrow money from your own account. A loan may be attractive if you don&#8217;t qualify for a withdrawal, or you don&#8217;t want to incur the taxes and penalties that may apply to a withdrawal, or you don&#8217;t want to permanently deplete your retirement assets. (Also, you must take any available loans from all plans maintained by your employer before you&#8217;re even eligible to withdraw your own pretax or Roth contributions from a 401(k) plan because of hardship.)</p>
<p>In general, you can borrow up to one half of your vested account balance (including your contributions, your employer&#8217;s contributions, and earnings), but not more than $50,000.</p>
<p>You can borrow the funds for up to five years (longer if the loan is to purchase your principal residence). In most cases you repay the loan through payroll deduction, with principal and interest flowing back into your account. But keep in mind that when you borrow, the unpaid principal of your loan is no longer in your 401(k) account working for you.</p>
<p><strong>Withdrawing your own contributions</strong><br />
If you&#8217;ve made after-tax (non-Roth) contributions, your 401(k) plan can let you withdraw those dollars (and any investment earnings on them) for any reason, at any time. You can withdraw your pretax and Roth contributions (that is, your &#8220;elective deferrals&#8221;), however, only for one of the following reasons&#8211;and again, only if your plan specifically allows the withdrawal:</p>
<ul>
<li>You attain age 59½</li>
<li>You become disabled</li>
<li>The distribution is a &#8220;qualified reservist distribution&#8221;</li>
<li>You incur a hardship (i.e., a &#8220;hardship withdrawal&#8221;)</li>
</ul>
<p>Hardship withdrawals are allowed only if you have an immediate and heavy financial need, and only up to the amount necessary to meet that need.In most plans, you must require the money to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Purchase a principal residence or repair a principal residence damaged by an unexpected event (e.g., a hurricane)</li>
<li>Prevent eviction or foreclosure</li>
<li>Pay medical bills</li>
<li>Pay certain funeral expenses</li>
<li>Pay certain education expenses</li>
<li>Pay income tax and/or penalties due on the hardship withdrawal itself</li>
<li>Investment earnings aren&#8217;t available for hardship withdrawal, except for certain pre-1989 grandfathered amounts.</li>
</ul>
<p>But there are some disadvantages to hardship withdrawals, in addition to the tax consequences described below. You can&#8217;t take a hardship withdrawal at all until you&#8217;ve first withdrawn all other funds, and taken all nontaxable plan loans, available to you under all retirement plans maintained by your employer. And, in most 401(k) plans, your employer must suspend your participation in the plan for at least six months after the withdrawal, meaning you could lose valuable employer matching contributions. And hardship withdrawals can&#8217;t be rolled over. So think carefully before making a hardship withdrawal.</p>
<p><strong>Withdrawing employer contributions</strong><br />
Getting employer dollars out of a 401(k) plan can be even more challenging. While some plans won&#8217;t let you withdraw employer contributions at all before you terminate employment, other plans are more flexible, and let you withdraw at least some vested employer contributions before then. &#8220;Vested&#8221; means that you own the contributions and they can&#8217;t be forfeited for any reason. In general, a 401(k) plan can allow you to withdraw vested company matching and profit-sharing contributions if:</p>
<ul>
<li>You become disabled</li>
<li>You incur a hardship (your employer has some discretion in how hardship is defined for this purpose)</li>
<li>You attain a specified age (for example, 59½)</li>
<li>You participate in the plan for at least five years, or</li>
<li>The employer contribution has been in the account for a specified period of time (generally at least two years)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Taxation</strong><br />
Your own pretax contributions, company contributions, and investment earnings are subject to income tax when you withdraw them from the plan. If you&#8217;ve made any after-tax contributions, they&#8217;ll be nontaxable when withdrawn. Each withdrawal you make is deemed to carry out a pro-rata portion of taxable and any nontaxable dollars.</p>
<p>Your Roth contributions, and investment earnings on them, are taxed separately: if your distribution is &#8220;qualified,&#8221; then your withdrawal will be entirely free from federal income taxes. If your withdrawal is &#8220;nonqualified,&#8221; then each withdrawal will be deemed to carry out a pro-rata amount of your nontaxable Roth contributions and taxable investment earnings. A distribution is qualified if you satisfy a five-year holding period, and your distribution is made either after you&#8217;ve reached age 59½, or after you&#8217;ve become disabled. The five-year period begins on the first day of the first calendar year you make your first Roth 401(k) contribution to the plan.</p>
<p>The taxable portion of your distribution may be subject to a 10% premature distribution tax, in addition to any income tax due, unless an exception applies. Exceptions to the penalty include distributions after age 59½, distributions on account of disability, qualified reservist distributions, and distributions to pay medical expenses.</p>
<p><strong>Rollovers and conversions</strong><br />
Rollover of non-Roth funds<br />
If your in-service withdrawal qualifies as an &#8220;eligible rollover distribution,&#8221; you can roll over all or part of the withdrawal tax free to a traditional IRA or to another employer&#8217;s plan that accepts rollovers. In general, most in-service withdrawals qualify as eligible rollover distributions except for hardship withdrawals and required minimum distributions after age 70½. If your withdrawal qualifies as an eligible rollover distribution, your plan administrator will give you a notice (a &#8220;402(f) notice&#8221;) explaining the rollover rules, the withholding rules, and other related tax issues. (Your plan administrator will withhold 20% of the taxable portion of your eligible rollover distribution for federal income tax purposes if you don&#8217;t directly roll the funds over to another plan or IRA.)</p>
<p>You can also roll over (&#8220;convert&#8221;) an eligible rollover distribution of non-Roth funds to a Roth IRA. And some 401(k) plans even allow you to make an &#8220;in-plan conversion&#8221;&#8211;that is, you can request an in-service withdrawal of non-Roth funds, and have those dollars transferred into a Roth account within the same 401(k) plan. In either case, you&#8217;ll pay income tax on the amount you convert (less any nontaxable after-tax contributions you&#8217;ve made).</p>
<p><strong>Rollover of Roth funds</strong><br />
If you withdraw funds from your Roth 401(k) account, those dollars can only be rolled over to a Roth IRA, or to another Roth 401(k)/403(b)/457(b) plan that accepts rollovers. (Again, hardship withdrawals can&#8217;t be rolled over.) But be sure to understand how a rollover will affect the taxation of future distributions from the IRA or plan. For example, if you roll over a nonqualified distribution from a Roth 401(k) account to a Roth IRA, the Roth IRA five-year holding period will apply when determining if any future distributions from the IRA are tax-free qualified distributions. That is, you won&#8217;t get credit for the time those dollars resided in the 401(k) plan.</p>
<p><strong>Be informed</strong><br />
You should become familiar with the terms of your employer&#8217;s 401(k) plan to understand your particular withdrawal rights. A good place to start is the plan&#8217;s summary plan description (SPD). Your employer will give you a copy of the SPD within 90 days after you join the plan.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Copyright Forefield, Inc.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Making Financial Resolutions? Look Back at Last Year</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/01/making-financial-resolutions-look-back-at-last-year/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/01/making-financial-resolutions-look-back-at-last-year/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cashflow & Budgeting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance & Annuities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retirement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1135</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Each new year brings the chance for a fresh start, and the opportunity to improve your financial picture. As you make financial resolutions for 2012, looking back at what happened last year can help you make some positive changes this year. Automate your retirement savings In 2011: The economic slowdown took its toll on retirement [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" src="http://www.forefieldkt.com/images/NFP-FinRes0112_02.jpg" alt="" width="102" height="102" />Each new year brings the chance for a fresh start, and the opportunity to improve your financial picture. As you make financial resolutions for 2012, looking back at what happened last year can help you make some positive changes this year.</p>
<p><strong>Automate your retirement savings</strong><br />
In 2011: The economic slowdown took its toll on retirement savings.</p>
<p>In 2012: While the economy&#8211;and its impact on financial markets&#8211;may be out of your hands, you can still look for ways to increase your retirement savings. First, determine whether you&#8217;re leaving any money on the table. If you participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan such as a 401(k) or a 403(b), contribute the maximum amount you can&#8211;particularly if your employer matches some or all of your contributions.</p>
<p>Contributing to an employer-sponsored retirement plan can help you save more consistently. Because your contributions are deducted automatically from your salary each pay period, you won&#8217;t be tempted to skip one now and then. And this year, why not resolve to steadily increase your retirement contributions? Your employer may allow you to sign up for automatic contribution increases based on a certain schedule or triggering event (e.g., annually or whenever your pay increases).</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re self-employed or contributing to a traditional or Roth IRA on your own, you can still automate your contributions by having money sent directly from a savings or checking account to your retirement account.</p>
<p><strong>Plan ahead for a cash crunch</strong><br />
In 2011: According to the Federal Reserve, use of consumer credit rose in 2011 after falling for two straight years.</p>
<p>In 2012: If you&#8217;ve reigned in your spending but are still burdened by debt (especially credit card debt), your lack of emergency savings may be partly to blame. For example, even if you pay much more than your monthly minimum credit card payment, you&#8217;ll be caught in an endless cycle of debt unless you can avoid using your credit card for new expenses. Resolve to have at least three to six months of your living expenses set aside in a liquid account such as a savings or money market account so that you have cash on hand to pay for unexpected expenses (e.g., costly car or home repairs, large medical bills) instead of racking up new credit card debt and interest charges.</p>
<p><strong>Review your investments</strong><br />
In 2011: Market volatility was the norm.</p>
<p>In 2012: You can&#8217;t control the market, but you can control your response to market volatility. Is your asset allocation still in line with your investment goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance? Is it time to rebalance your allocation in light of changing market conditions and/or your changing needs? Are you taking appropriate advantage of available investment products or offerings? Reviewing your portfolio periodically can help you stay on track.</p>
<p><strong>Check your insurance coverage</strong><br />
In 2011: Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and wildfires were widespread.</p>
<p>In 2012: The federal government issued more disaster declarations in 2011 than in any other year on record, serving as a reminder that it&#8217;s important to review your property and casualty coverage to make sure you&#8217;re adequately protected. Is there coverage you really should have (e.g., personal umbrella liability, renters insurance, or flood protection), but don&#8217;t?</p>
<p><strong>Update your estate plan</strong><br />
In 2011: New estate and gift tax laws took effect.</p>
<p>In 2012: Your estate plan should be reviewed in light of the changes made last year to estate and gift tax laws. Certain life events, such as changes in employment, family circumstances (marriages, divorces, births, illness or incapacity, and deaths), or even the valuation of your estate, may also affect your estate plan.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Copyright Forefield Inc.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Important regulatory notice: disclosure brochure and privacy statement</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/01/important-regulatory-notice/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2012/01/01/important-regulatory-notice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:30:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1156</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Frisco Financial Planning LLC is legally required to offer a regulatory disclosure (Form ADV Part Two or “disclosure brochure”) to clients annually.  So, here it is: FFP&#8217;s disclosure brochure FFP&#8217;s privacy statement: Frisco Financial Planning LLC  Privacy Statement We respect your privacy. This statement details how we obtain information, what information we share and with [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Frisco Financial Planning LLC is legally required to offer a regulatory disclosure (Form ADV Part Two or “disclosure brochure”) to clients annually.  So, here it is:</p>
<p><a title="FFP disclosure brochure" href="http://www.ffplan.com/docs/brochure.pdf" target="_blank">FFP&#8217;s disclosure brochure</a></p>
<p><a title="FFP privacy statement" href="http://www.ffplan.com/docs/privacy.pdf" target="_blank">FFP&#8217;s privacy statement</a>:</p>
<p><strong>Frisco Financial Planning LLC  Privacy Statement</strong></p>
<p>We respect your privacy. This statement details how we obtain information, what information we share and with whom, and measures we take to ensure your privacy. This statement applies to current and past clients and prospective clients.</p>
<p>Sources of information</p>
<ul>
<li>Information provided by you*.</li>
<li>Information provided by third parties such as other advisers or financial institutions, family members, doctors, or medical facilities.</li>
<li>Information provided by publicly-available sources.</li>
</ul>
<p>Such information may be in verbal, electronic, or written form. We use reasonable means to verify the accuracy of information obtained from sources other than you. We assume that information provided by you is accurate and fully disclosed.</p>
<p>* We ask that you remove social security numbers and account numbers from any material that you provide to us (the best protection you have against misappropriated information is not disclosing it).</p>
<p><strong>Who we share information with</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Current legally married spouses. We freely share information with the current legal spouse of a client. We consider current husband and wife to be a “joint client.” This policy is effective even though we only require one spouse&#8217;s signature on our client agreement.</li>
<li>Any information that we communicate to one spouse is considered to be relayed by the recipient to the other spouse.</li>
<li>It is your responsibility to notify us promptly of any marital status change and/or electronic mail address change(s). References in this privacy statement and in our client agreement and disclosure brochure to “you” or “client” refer to either husband or wife or both.</li>
<li>Parties that you give us express consent to share information with (although it is our preference that you share any desired information directly with such third parties).</li>
<li>Any party, when required by law.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Electronic information storage</strong></p>
<p>We store information such as planning documents, investment statements, tax information, meeting and conversation notes, and other items electronically. Such information may be stored on “local” workstations as well as on “cloud-based” internet servers.</p>
<p>Local workstation data is encrypted and password-protected. “Cloud-based” services that we use employ password protection and 128 bit SSL encryption to protect your information. Additionally, several of the services we use provide additional security such as server-level data encryption<br />
and/or 24/7 on-site security.</p>
<p>If we become aware of a security breach that might compromise your personal information, it is our policy to notify you promptly.</p>
<p><strong>Non-electronic information storage</strong></p>
<p>We limit non-electronic information storage to a small collection of current client work papers. We follow reasonable measures to protect such documents including the use of locked file cabinets and offices.</p>
<p><strong>Electronic communications</strong></p>
<p>We consider social security numbers, account numbers, dates of birth, and specific health-related conditions to be confidential information and we will not send these items electronically without using a password-protected document and/or encrypted e-mail or similar means.</p>
<p>We consider financial information such as account types, account values, statements of financial condition, and specifics to your financial plan (ie, assumptions, recommendations, and illustrations) as semi-confidential. This means we will use unprotected electronic means to communicate such items to you but we will not communicate such information directly to other parties (except as detailed above). In short, you agree that for such semi-confidential information, the ease of unsecured electronic communication outweighs the possibility of such information being intercepted by others.</p>
<p>We use several third party internet communication services to communicate with clients. By providing us with your email address, you give us permission to communicate with you via e-mail and via such services. We will not give away or sell your e-mail address to any other third parties.</p>
<p><strong>Employees and contractors</strong></p>
<p>This privacy statement applies to all employees and contractors of our company. When possible, we limit employee and contractor access to certain information and we use reasonable measures to prevent the unauthorized release of your information.</p>
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		<title>Happy New Year!</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/31/happy-new-year/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/31/happy-new-year/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:01:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1128</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s to a prosperous 2012; Have a fun, happy, and safe new year holiday!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here&#8217;s to a prosperous 2012;</p>
<p>Have a fun, happy, and safe new year holiday!</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The problem with do-it-yourself estate planning</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/19/the-problem-with-do-it-yourself-estate-planning/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/19/the-problem-with-do-it-yourself-estate-planning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:10:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1112</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As the number of Internet websites and software packages have quickly multiplied, along with the many books and stationery store kits that have always been available, do-it-yourself (DIY) estate planning is on the rise. The one-size-fits-all fill-in-the-blank forms that these sources provide may be attractive to some individuals because they cost a fraction of what [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.ffplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NES-doityourself1211_02.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1113" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-width: 0px; margin: 10px;" title="NES-doityourself1211_02" src="http://www.ffplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NES-doityourself1211_02.jpg" alt="" width="170" height="170" /></a></p>
<p>As the number of Internet websites and software packages have quickly multiplied, along with the many books and stationery store kits that have always been available, do-it-yourself (DIY) estate planning is on the rise. The one-size-fits-all fill-in-the-blank forms that these sources provide may be attractive to some individuals because they cost a fraction of what attorneys typically charge. But is saving a few dollars worth the risk and potentially high cost of doing things incorrectly?</p>
<p><strong>Cheap, easy, and better than nothing?</strong></p>
<p>Proponents of DIY estate planning typically have two arguments:</p>
<p>It&#8217;s cheap and easy: A will, for instance, can be completed online in about 15 minutes for about $69. In comparison, working with an experienced attorney to create common estate planning documents (wills, trusts, health-care directives, and powers of attorney) may cost you anywhere from $800 to $3,000 or more, depending on the complexity of your estate.<br />
It&#8217;s better than nothing: The consequences of dying without estate planning documents are that the state will make important decisions for you, such as how your property will be distributed, who will care for your minor children, and what medical care you&#8217;ll receive if you are unable to make your wishes known.<br />
These points are valid; for those who cannot afford to pay an attorney, DIY may be the only economical alternative available. For others, a poorly drafted will is better than no will at all, especially where the naming of a guardian for minor children is involved. But the chances that DIY estate planning will effectively accomplish exactly what you intend is slim. Here&#8217;s why.</p>
<p><strong>It&#8217;s too easy to make mistakes</strong></p>
<p>DIY sources typically only handle simple estates, and can&#8217;t deal with even the most common complexities such as children from a prior marriage, children with special needs, property that has appreciated in value resulting in capital gains, or estates that are large enough to be subject to estate taxes. And, DIY sources generally fail altogether to take advantage of sophisticated estate planning strategies because they typically can&#8217;t account for an individual&#8217;s unique circumstances.</p>
<p>Further, you may make an error by failing to understand the instructions or by following the instructions incorrectly.<br />
The result is that the documents you create could be invalid, ineffective, or contain legal language having consequences you never intended. You might not know if that is the case during your lifetime, but at your death your loved ones will find out and may suffer the lasting consequences of your mistakes.</p>
<p><strong>You&#8217;re not getting legal advice</strong></p>
<p>DIY sources provide forms but not legal advice. In fact, these sources clearly state that they are not a substitute for an attorney, and that they are prohibited from providing any kind of legal advice.</p>
<p>Estate planning involves a lot more than producing documents. It&#8217;s impossible to know, without a legal education and years of experience, what the right legal solution is to your particular situation and what planning opportunities are available. The actual documents produced are simply tools to put into effect a plan that should be specifically tailored to your circumstances and goals.</p>
<p><strong>Estate planning laws change</strong></p>
<p>Laws are not static. They constantly change because of new case law and legislation, especially when it comes to estate taxes. Attorneys keep up with these changes. DIY websites, makers of software, and other sources may not do as good a job at keeping current and up-to-date.</p>
<p>Fixing mistakes can be costly<br />
As previously stated, estate planning documents can be obtained from a lawyer for $800 to $3,000 or more, depending on the complexity of your estate. But these costs are minor in comparison to the costs that your loved ones may incur if there are serious errors in your DIY estate planning. Many more thousands of dollars may have to be spent by your loved ones to undo what was done wrong.</p>
<p><strong>The bottom line</strong></p>
<p>There are obvious savings in legal fees by using form wills and trusts, but there are also risks involved. One of them is that problems such as defective forms, violations of state law, or improper witnessing will not be apparent to you when the documents are signed. It may be only after death occurs many years later when the problems are discovered, and at that point it may be very costly, or even worse, too late to revise the documents.</p>
<p>Copyright Forefield, Inc.</p>
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		<title>Does the federal financial aid formula count all parental assets?</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/16/does-the-federal-financial-aid-formula-count-all-parental-assets/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/16/does-the-federal-financial-aid-formula-count-all-parental-assets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:19:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Money & Children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saving for College]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1121</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The federal methodology for financial aid examines your family&#8217;s income, assets, and household information to calculate your expected family contribution, or EFC. Your EFC represents the amount of money the government deems you can afford to put toward college costs each year before any financial aid is forthcoming. The federal methodology counts some parental assets [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.ffplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NED-AidExclude1111_01.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1122" style="margin: 20px;" title="NED-AidExclude1111_01" src="http://www.ffplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NED-AidExclude1111_01.jpg" alt="" width="116" height="116" /></a></p>
<p>The federal methodology for financial aid examines your family&#8217;s income, assets, and household information to calculate your expected family contribution, or EFC. Your EFC represents the amount of money the government deems you can afford to put toward college costs each year before any financial aid is forthcoming.</p>
<p>The federal methodology counts some parental assets and excludes others in arriving at your EFC (these assets are referred to as assessable and non-assessable assets). The more assessable assets your family has, the higher your EFC. The following assets are excluded from the federal methodology:</p>
<ul>
<li>Retirement accounts (e.g., 401(k)s, all IRAs)</li>
<li>Annuities</li>
<li>Cash value life insurance</li>
<li>Home equity in primary residence</li>
<li>Personal items (e.g., cars, furniture)</li>
<li>A family farm</li>
</ul>
<p>Keep in mind that your assets for financial aid purposes are those you own at the time you sign the FAFSA.</p>
<p>Assessable assets are all other assets of the parent. These include items such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, U.S. savings bonds, certain 529 plans, trusts, limited partnerships, vacation homes, investment properties, and business assets.</p>
<p>When a family&#8217;s total assessable assets are counted, the federal methodology grants parents an asset protection allowance that lets them exclude a certain portion of their assets from the final tally. The amount of the allowance varies, depending on the age of the older parent at the time the student applies for aid&#8211;the older the parent, the greater the allowance. For example, for the 2011/2012 school year, the asset protection allowance for a two-parent family where the older parent is 48 years old is $46,200; the figure jumps to $54,300 if the older parent is 54 years old.</p>
<p>Copyright Forefield, Inc.</p>
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		<title>Life without life insurance</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/14/life-without-life-insurance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/14/life-without-life-insurance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:04:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Insurance & Annuities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1105</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What if you were no longer here to provide for your family and loved ones? What if you couldn&#8217;t watch your children grow, graduate from college, and begin their own families? What if your spouse couldn&#8217;t afford the home, car, college tuition, or unanticipated medical expenses, all because you hadn&#8217;t planned for the unexpected? Life [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="middle"><a href="http://www.ffplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NPT-LifeWhatIf0911_02.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1117 alignright" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-width: 0px; margin: 10px;" title="NPT-LifeWhatIf0911_02" src="http://www.ffplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NPT-LifeWhatIf0911_02.jpg" alt="" width="119" height="119" /></a>What if you were no longer here to provide for your family and loved ones? What if you couldn&#8217;t watch your children grow, graduate from college, and begin their own families? What if your spouse couldn&#8217;t afford the home, car, college tuition, or unanticipated medical expenses, all because you hadn&#8217;t planned for the unexpected? Life is full of &#8220;what ifs,&#8221; and we don&#8217;t always have the answers to every question. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s important to put a plan in place that will protect your family if you&#8217;re not here. Life insurance can be an essential part of that plan.<strong><em>How much do you need?</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em></em></strong>Life insurance can provide financial resources at your death for your family or business, or for charities and other interests. The amount of life insurance you need depends on a number of factors, including the size of your family, the nature of your financial obligations, your career stage, and your goals. The answers to these questions may help you determine how much life insurance you should consider:</p>
<ul>
<li>What immediate financial expenses (e.g., debt repayment, funeral expenses) would your family face upon your death?</li>
<li>How much of your salary is devoted to current expenses and future needs?</li>
<li>How long would your dependents need support if you were to die tomorrow?</li>
<li>How much money would you want to leave for special situations, such as funding your children&#8217;s education or gifts to charities?</li>
<li>What other assets, including existing life insurance, do you have?</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><em>What if your spouse dies first?</em></strong></p>
<p>If you&#8217;re the primary breadwinner in your marriage, it&#8217;s easy to overlook the financial and emotional strain your family will face if your spouse should die before you. Your income might be diminished if you have to work less in order to spend more time with your children. Or, you may have to work longer hours to cover unanticipated expenses for daycare, house cleaning, meals, etc. To your young children, losing one parent may seem like losing both. If your spouse should die before you, insurance on his or her life can offer financial security for your family, allowing you to spend more time providing emotional support for your children.</p>
<p><strong><em>Even if you&#8217;re single</em></strong></p>
<p>Just because you&#8217;re single doesn&#8217;t mean you don&#8217;t need life insurance. If you died tomorrow, what financial obligations would remain? Do your parents or other relatives depend on you for support? Do you want to leave something to people close to you such as siblings, other relatives, or close friends? How will you provide for your favorite charities? Do you have pets that will need care in your absence? Life insurance is an important part of any financial plan, even if you&#8217;re not married.</p>
<p><strong><em>Don&#8217;t let hard times be an excuse to cancel your insurance</em></strong></p>
<p>During tough economic times, you might be tempted to stop paying your life insurance premium. However, a recent study reveals that 4 in 10 households with children under age 18 would have trouble meeting their everyday living expenses if the primary breadwinner died. Yet 30% of U.S. households have no life insurance, and of those that do, over half (58 million) say they need more life insurance (Life Insurance and Market Research Association 2010 <em>Trends in Life Insurance Ownership).</em> Cancelling your life insurance to save a few dollars when money is tight may jeopardize your family&#8217;s financial future.</p>
<p><strong><em>Review your plan</em></strong></p>
<p>Whether you have life insurance through your employer or purchased privately, have you reviewed your coverage recently, especially in relation to your current circumstances? Do you have enough coverage to meet your changing needs and goals? If you change jobs, can you take your insurance with you? Lives change over time and your financial needs may change as well. Review your present coverage with your insurance professional to ensure it&#8217;s keeping up with your changing financial needs and goals.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Copyright Forefield, Inc.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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		<title>FFP new office and mailing address</title>
		<link>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/02/ffp-new-office-and-mailing-address/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ffplan.com/2011/12/02/ffp-new-office-and-mailing-address/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:43:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>johncgay</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ffplan.com/?p=1100</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[FFP has moved offices.  Same office complex (Hackberry Crossing), same location, but now Suite 202. Please address correspondence and payments to the new address: Frisco Financial Planning LLC 9555 Lebanon Road, Suite 202 Frisco, TX 75035 Phone, fax, and e-mail addresses remain the same.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>FFP has moved offices.  Same office complex (Hackberry Crossing), same location, but now Suite 202.</p>
<p>Please address correspondence and payments to the new address:</p>
<p>Frisco Financial Planning LLC<br />
9555 Lebanon Road, Suite 202<br />
Frisco, TX 75035</p>
<p>Phone, fax, and e-mail addresses remain the same.</p>
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