Trustee Duties and Time Required

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Dec 25, 2025 | Blog, Estate Planning

What is it really like to be a trustee? How much time will it take? What are my legal requirements and responsibilities? I have been in wealth management for over 25 years and have helped dozens of families with their trust planning. I have been a trustee myself for...

Annuities are a Trap. Four Ways the Trap Happens.

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Dec 11, 2025 | Blog, Estate Planning, Investing, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning for Retirement

Annuities are bad investments designed to hold you hostage for the duration of your life. Annuities are nothing more than a complicated trap that many investors fall victim to. Here are the four most common ways investors get trapped in annuities. Taxes Death Benefits...

Three Retirement Planning Goals for Age 65

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Jun 25, 2025 | Blog, Estate Planning, Retirement Planning

Retirement planning can be overwhelming. To simplify your retirement plan and increase your odds of success, break your retirement plan down into the following three goals: portfolio, housing, and estate plan. Instead of getting lost in a complicated software program,...

How To Talk to Your Kids About Trusts 

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Jun 6, 2025 | Blog, Estate Planning

You have done well in life and have a lot of assets. In your estate plan, you created trusts for your kids, but you are not sure how to talk about it with them. Do not worry, you are not alone. Many wealthy families avoid discussing trusts with their kids because they...

Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) – Major Update You Need to Make to Your Financial Plan

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | May 10, 2025 | Blog, Estate Planning

A spousal lifetime access trust (SLAT) is an effective tool for saving money on estate taxes. When a SLAT trust is created, one spouse is the trust grantor, and the other is the beneficiary. The grantor spouse gifts assets to the irrevocable SLAT trust and files a...

Pour-Over Will with Testamentary Trust – Never Use One as Your Primary Estate Plan

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Apr 24, 2025 | Blog, Estate Planning

A pour-over will with a testamentary trust should never be used as your primary estate planning document. A pour-over will is an estate planning tool that directs your assets to be put into your trust after you die. You can use a pour-over will to fund a testamentary...