Financial Advisor Robert Russell explains how you can proactively protect your family in the case of a sudden tragedy.

Dayton, OH – October 30, 2012 – Each and every one of us at some level has dealt with the tragic loss of a loved one, or has watched a person we care about deal with the pain and suffering of a long term disability. Death is inevitable and (according to studies by AARP, Met Life and GE Financial) disability affects one in two Americans over the age of 65 on a long-term basis. With these unpleasant realities so certain, estate and disability planning in America should be well designed and well developed, enabling families to avoid the hardship associated with having a poor plan or no plan at all.

Robert Russell, President of Russell & Company, recently discussed three things that every American over the age of 65 should be considering about their estate and disability planning:

• Lawyers can create great legal estate planning documents, but if your assets are not “funded” into the trusts – or if you have documents that are poorly defined in a disability situation, you can end up with a very IN-effective plan. Here are some significant problems to look out for:
  • If you have a trust and none of your accounts are tied to it, the trust will not help your estate avoid probate.  A well-prepared legal document can help your family avoid the cost of probate, (AARP reports average probate costs annually are 3-5%) but if your bank and investment accounts are not held in the name of your trust, it will not help.
  • It is also important to make sure your real estate is tied through newly created deeds to transfer the property into the trust.
• Long-term care can wipe you out financially.  Newly enforced Filial Responsibility laws may end up costing your kids their savings to pay your nursing home bill. This may be hard to believe, but that is the new reality of healthcare.  With home health care aides costing $15-30 per hour and Assisted living facilities costing from $4,000 to $8,000 per month in many parts of the country, nursing homes can cost well over $100,000 per year.  Developing a long-term care plan is critical.  There are a variety of ways to use leverage with specific financial products to help you protect your hard earned retirement savings beyond traditional long term care insurance.  Being proactive and planning for these future tragedies can spare your loved ones the stress of trying to “figure it out.”
• Divide and BE CONQUERED.  All too often financial advisors rely just on financial solutions to solve a client’s long-term care risk.  Likewise, lawyers look to their legal documents to solve the problem.  The best advice is to seek out a “team approach”.  A well-prepared financial plan addressing death and disability, designed in tandem with coordinated and well-drafted legal documents, will yield you the very best results.  Two professionals working “independently” can actually cancel out the effectiveness of one another’s work. Be proactive by insisting that the advisor(s) and lawyer(s) you trust work collaboratively.

For more information on this topic, or to learn how Robert Russell can help, please visit www.theirapros.com.

About Robert Russell:

In only nine short years, Robert Russell has amassed an impressive list of clients and credentials. He often contributes to CNBC, Fox Business, The Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report, and he also co-hosts “Retirement Rescue Radio” on 1290 AM and 95.7 FM WHIO.

Russell is an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR), 2nd generation wealth advisor and member of the Ed Slott Master Elite IRA Advisor Group. He was acknowledged as one of the top “40 Professionals under 40” by the Dayton Business Journal and was honored as a Five Star Wealth Manager – Best in Client Satisfaction by Cincinnati magazine.

Russell is also nearing completion of a book titled, “Retirement Held Hostage,” in which he outlines several of the strategies that have brought him to the top of his field.

Securities offered through Kalos Capital, Inc.,  Member FINRA, SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Kalos Management, Inc., 3780 Mansell Rd. Suite 150, Alpharetta, GA  30022,  (678) 356-1100.  Russell & Company is not an affiliate or subsidiary of Kalos Capital, Inc. or Kalos Management, Inc.

Neither Kalos Capital, Inc. nor Kalos Management, Inc make any endorsements or opinions about the coursework required to become a member of Ed Slott’s Master Elite IRA Advisor Group and as such cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness within.

A policy change may incur fees and costs, and may also require a medical examination.

This scenario is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent and actual client.  Results may vary.