	"To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan but also believe."

Estate planning
This is one of the greatest gifts you can give your heirs: a plan that clearly states what should happen to your wealth when you pass away.

An estate plan directs family wealth over the potential hurdles of probate and estate taxes … as well as many others. A good estate plan far surpasses a will or a living trust. Many wills can be challenged; most living trusts leave families wide open to estate taxes.

As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. An out-of- the-box will or a $1,000 living trust offers scant protection. If any of the following statements apply to your life, you can really benefit from an estate plan:

You own a business.
You own multiple homes or real estate properties.
You have divorced and/or remarried.
You have a son or daughter with special needs.
Your children are not yet 18 years of age.
Your business provides a service that, if incorrectly performed, could result in litigation against you.
You face the possibility of inheriting a debilitating illness (Alzheimer's Disease, Huntington's Disease, etc.)
You want to someday endow money to a charity or favorite cause
You want to stipulate how a portion of your money should be spent after you pass away

Estates of roughly $3 million or less – estate planning is akin to family survival planning. Families with large estates benefit greatly from a plan; families with smaller estates need a plan.

Jim can create a comprehensive estate plan in a team effort with your family attorney, insurance agent, and business advisors. He helps you revise it through the years, so there is no question and no ambiguity.

Wealth management
Preserving family wealth is an art. Central to that art is tax reduction – or even tax elimination. Investment planning is also critical, so that a family's principal can grow without undue risk.

Jim's trust planning can help your family avoid unnecessary estate and income taxes. Rather than a simple living trust, Jim can recommend strategies such as charitable remainder and wealth replacement trusts, gift annuities, stretch IRAs, generation-skipping trusts and others that will allow you tax breaks and effectively direct your assets.

Jim carefully allocates portfolio assets across equity and fixed-income investments to promote more retirement income. He rolls over retirement plan accounts to traditional and Roth IRAs, and helps retired couples invest in the fixed and variable annuities that can bring them new streams of income. He manages family wealth conservatively, mindful of your risk tolerance and family goals.

What might Jim do for you? E-mail him with a financial question pertaining to retirement.

Annuity Detective AnnuityDetective.com puts the Fixed Annuity under a magnifying glass providing everything you need to know to make the best decisions for the right product.

NAFEP NAFEP is the nation's leading authority and provider of estate planning, asset protection and capital gains deferral products and services.

1833 Center Point Circle Suite 135 Naperville, IL 60563 IL60563
Phone: 630-505-8375Fax: 630-505-8376Email: jflanagan@bentron.com

Securities offered through Waterstone Financial Group, Member FINRA/SIPC

721 E. Madison, Suite 101, Villa Park, IL 60181 (630) 834-0770

Bentron Financial Group, Inc. and Waterstone Financial Group are independently owned and operated.