3 Essential Strategies For Protecting Your Family’s Assets
Asset protection planning isn’t something you can put off until something happens. Once you are under threat of a lawsuit, it’s likely too late to protect your assets. While you should meet with us, to determine the asset protection strategies that are best suited for your particular asset profile and family situation, here are three essential strategies to consider for safeguarding your family’s most valuable assets.
- Invest In Insurance
Insurance is always the first line of defense when it comes to asset protection. Anyone can file a lawsuit against you at any time—and basically for any reason. And whether you are ultimately found at fault or not, defending yourself in court can be extremely costly. The insurance coverage you purchase should not only pay damages if a lawsuit against you is successful, the policy should also cover the cost of hiring a lawyer to defend you in court, whether you win or lose your case. And because a large judgment could exceed your policies’ coverage limits, you should also seriously consider buying umbrella insurance.
- Take Advantage Of Statutory Exemptions
Another way to protect your family’s assets is by taking full advantage of federal and state laws that make certain types of assets “exempt” from creditor claims and judgments. For example, federal and state laws also classify many retirement plans, such as 401(k)s and IRAs, as exempt assets. Additionally, some states offer significant, or complete, exemptions for life insurance policies and annuities, as well.
- Put The Proper Estate Planning In Place
Although each of the above scenarios are mere possibilities, there is one certainty in life—death. It’s coming for all of us, and given this fact, your eventual death—or your potential incapacity from a serious accident or illness before you pass away—is the biggest risk to your family’s assets.
If you become incapacitated or die without proper estate planning in place, your assets and family will face a number of potentially tragic outcomes. Without the proper planning, your assets will get stuck in the court system, which could result in those assets passing to family members you would never want inheriting them, or if the assets eventually do pass to the loved ones you would want inheriting them, those assets could be seriously depleted or even lost. To this end, planning in advance for the inevitability of death is one of the greatest gifts you can give those you love most.
You work way too hard to leave your family’s assets at risk. If you’ve been putting off creating your estate plan—or if you haven’t updated your existing plan recently—now is the time to get it handled.
