Taxes are frustrating to nearly every small business owner I speak with. Most people agree that we should all pay our fair share. But after working countless thousands of hours to build a viable business, it’s…
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Grantor Retained Annuity Trust: An Easy Way for Business Owners to Reduce Wealth Transfer Taxes
For business owners starting to think about the next generation, the phrases”estate tax” or “transfer tax” almost seem like curse words. The bad news is that when you build an estate of a certain size,…
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How to Tell Whether You Have Enough Money to Retire
“I’m not sure I have enough saved up to retire.” “How can I know for sure my savings will last after I stop working?” “I”m concerned I’ll spend through my savings too fast and run…
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You’ve Inherited an IRA. Now What?
Inheriting an IRA is quite a bit different than inheriting any other asset. Unlike cash or investments in a traditional investment account, if you inherit an IRA you’ll need to start withdrawing from the account…
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Essential Financial Moves for New Parents
You’ve heard it before: life changes once you have kids. As the proud parent to a six month old baby boy, I can attest that the rumors are true. Having kids brings a quite a…
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Entrepreneurship as a Means to Financial Independence
Today’s post is another on the topic of financial independence. We’ve had several of these recently, but since that’s the focus of this blog I guess that’s not surprising. Rather than discuss the fundamental components of…
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How the Trump Presidency Could Affect Your Finances
Recently I’ve had a few questions from clients and readers about what they should be looking out for now that we have a new president in office. As you know, Mr. Trump has had a pretty…
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The Role of Insurance in the Pursuit of Financial Independence
Executive Summary: There are many unfortunate things that can happen to us that risk our pursuit of financial independence. Some of them we can manage & control, others we can’t. For the “stuff” out there…
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Social Security Reform Under a Trump Presidency
With Donald Trump now in office, there are a lot of people approaching retirement who are concerned about the state of Social Security. With Mr. Trump initiating drastic reforms in other areas of the government, the…
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Money-Centered vs. Happiness-Centered Living
Today’s post is going to fall a little more on the abstract side of the spectrum. To date, most of the posts you’ll find on Above the Canopy are somewhat technical, and oriented toward achieving financial…
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