Moneta Group

With mortgage rates again on the decline, you may be considering a refinancing of your home mortgage. Instinctively, a borrower may be drawn to the 30-year fixed mortgage, seeing it as a great opportunity to lock in a low 4.5 percent rate for the duration of the mortgage. Under many circumstances, this is the right decision. However, for some borrowers, we want to get more creative.

For many, estate planning is both a private matter and a gloomy topic—and it’s often something parents and children avoid discussing. These conversations take a lot of courage, and they’re important because they help avoid surprises, encourage better financial planning and promote family harmony.

It seems like only yesterday the Bush tax cuts came into effect, although it was 2001. I think back to those days when we evaluated the impact of the new law: