Benchmark Financial Group Blog

How can I calculate my own retirement benefit estimates? We suggest you use the Retirement Estimator at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. The Retirement Estimator produces estimates based on your actual Social Security earnings record, so it’s very accurate. Also, you can use it to test different retirement possibilities based on what age...

By:  Timothy Denker An old friend of mine called me up and wanted to discuss what he needed for an estate plan. He was single, and had a few things, but nothing significant. My friend had spoken with a couple other attorneys who were suggesting he create a pretty complex estate plan. He was single with no kids, and wanted everything to go to just...

By:  Timothy Denker A young woman in her 40s called me one day completely distraught. She was married with two adorable little girls, but her husband was hit by a drunk driver and had been in a coma for quite some time. Her income alone was unable to support her family, and the bills were starting to pile up. She wanted to sell her house so she...

By:  Timothy Denker Not everything about estate planning is done for your heirs. Much of it, in fact, is put in place to protect you. One of those documents is called a “Power of Attorney for Health Care and Health Care Directive.” I’ll simply call it “Directive” from here on out. Most of us remember the Terri Schiavo story. To remind you, Terri...

By: Timothy Denker A couple of years ago, a client came into my office trying to figure out how to transfer the title of their deceased father’s house into that client’s name. The father didn’t have a Will or any resemblance of an estate plan, so I kept asking questions. It turned out the father had another son who they didn’t talk to anymore and...