Justin W. Rice

D&O can be a risk management tool for small businesses, non-profits and educational institutions.

Directors and Officers Liability Insurance Not only can D&O insurance provide financial protection, but it can help improve an organization’s decision-making.

Updated your estate strategy for a second marriage? You may not be caring for dependents from your previous one.

Yours, Mine, and Ours: Estate Strategies for Second Marriages Second marriages are a trigger event to revisit any existing estate strategies.

You may not be able to stop from wreaking havoc, but can manage some of the financial loss.

Protecting Your Home Against Flood Loss Protect yourself against the damage that your homeowners policy doesn’t cover.

Renter? Think you’re covered by the owner’s insurance? Do a double check.

An Overview of Renter’s Insurance Don’t overlook the need for renter’s insurance if you rent your home.

Cyber attacks are a growing online threat, but the good news is that you can insure your business!

Insuring Your Business Against Cyber Liability 90% of small businesses in the U.S. don't protect their data from cyber attacks. Is your business at risk?

Do you really understand how your homeowners insurance works?

Understanding Homeowners Insurance Purchasing homeowners insurance is critical for protecting your home.

It isn't whether you should have auto insurance - it's what kind you should have.

The ABC’s of Auto Insurance What kind of auto insurance should you have? Do you know?

The financial risks to consider when evaluating self insurance?

When to Self-Insure Choosing to bear the financial burden of an adverse event is called self-insuring. Do you know what that entails?

Facing divorce? Don't overlook changes to your insurance coverage.

What You Should Do About Insurance Following a Divorce In the face of divorce, making changes to insurance coverage may be overlooked.

There are benefits and limitations when using a living trust.

A Living Trust Primer Living trusts are popular, but their appropriateness will depend upon your individual needs and objectives.

An ILIT could play a role in your estate strategy.

A Primer on Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts Irrevocable life insurance trusts can be important tools that may accomplish a number of estate objectives.

Children with special needs may need ongoing help after their parents are gone.

4 Steps to Protecting a Child with Disabilities Planning for a child with special needs can be complicated, confusing, and even overwhelming.

If you died, what would happen to your email archives, social profiles, and online accounts?

Safeguard Your Digital Estate If you died, what would happen to your email archives, social profiles and online accounts?

Attention Estate Executors: Do you know about the Alternate Valuation Date?

Understanding the Alternate Valuation Date Executors can value the estate on the date of death, or on its six-month anniversary —the “Alternate Valuation Date.

Medicare doesn’t cover all the health-care expenses you may experience. Enter Medigap.

Understanding the Basics of Medigap Policies Important as it is, Medicare does not cover the full range of health-care expenses you may experience in your golden years.

You can't pick hot sectors, here's why:

Recent history shows the challenge.

No sector was a consistent outperformer from 2014 to 2023.

The solution?

Hold stocks across all sectors and capture higher returns where and when they appear.

Consider these points:

→ Energy, the best performer in 2016, 2021, and 2022, delivered the worst annual returns six times.
→ Tech, the leader in 2023, finished ninth out of 11 in 2022.
→ Health care finished first in 2015, last in 2016, and first again in 2018.

The absence of a reliable pattern in sector performance supports an "own them all" approach.

"Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young,” observed Teddy Roosevelt.

Preparing for the Expected You can plan ahead to protect yourself and your family against the financial consequences of deteriorating health.

For a small business, the loss of a key person could cause financial hardship.

Protecting Your Business from the Loss of a Key Person Business owners may be able to protect themselves from the financial consequences of losing a key employee.

Can group and private disability policies work together?

Can Group, Private Disability Policies Work Together? Loss of income from disability has the potential to cause financial hardship. Disability insurance can help.

The choice of business structure is not a final decision. You may amend your business structure to your changing needs.

Choosing a Business Structure Entrepreneurs all face the same question, “Which business structure should I adopt?”

Valuation is important for business succession, estate taxes and even qualifying for a loan.

What is the Value of Your Business? Ascertaining the value of your business is important for a variety of reasons.

Business owners should consider a succession plan sooner rather than later.

Succeeding at Business Succession There are a number of reasons for business owners to consider a business succession plan sooner rather than later.

Do you have a will? Is it updated?

When Do You Need a Will? When do you need a will? The answer is easy: Right Now.

Stocks edged higher in August as investors monitored economic reports for the Fed's next move with short-term interest rates

Monthly Market Insights | August 2024 Stocks edged higher during a volatile month of trading as investors monitored economic reports about the Fed’s next move with short-term interest rates.

Three tips for giving smart from the heart.

Charitable Giving: Smart from the Heart Do you have causes that you want to support with donations?

A will may be only one of the documents you need—and one of the factors you should consider—when it comes to managing your estate.

Estate Management 101 A will may be only one of the documents you need—and one factor to consider—when it comes to managing your estate.

Market volatility is normal.

8 key phrases about the recent market movement:

1. S&P 500:

The S&P 500 fell by 2% last week and another 3% yesterday. Despite these drops, it has delivered positive returns year to date.

2. Bond Yields:

Bond yields decreased, especially on the shorter end of the curve. This indicates a shift towards safer investments.

3. VIX:

The VIX, a measure of market volatility, hit levels not seen since March 2020. This suggests increased market fear.

4. Credit Spreads:

Credit spreads have not widened much, indicating that the market still sees corporate bonds as relatively safe.

5. Labor Market:

The unemployment rate is at 4.3%, but jobless claims are rising, and the quits rate is declining. This points to potential weaknesses in the labor market.

6. Sahm Rule:

The Sahm rule is triggered when the unemployment rate rises by 0.5% or more within three months. This typically means a recession is coming, however, no single indicator can definitively predict a recession.

7. Federal Reserve:

The Fed held rates steady last week. Chair Jerome Powell hinted at possible rate cuts in September, which could stimulate the economy.

8. Corporate Balance Sheets:

Corporate balance sheets are generally healthy. This is a positive sign amidst the market volatility.

In light of these developments, maintaining a long-term perspective is crucial.

Your investment approach should be designed to weather such volatility.

Many have heard they should avoid probate; do you understand what probate is and how it works?

Problems with Probate Probate can be a completely public process, or it can be managed to include as little information as possible.

When giving to charity, some make cash donations. Others want a more sophisticated strategy.

Trends in Charitable Giving Some people may want a more advanced gifting strategy that can maximize their gift and generate potential tax benefits.

When was the last time you updated your will?

Will Power Preparing for the eventual distribution of your assets may not sound enticing. But a will puts the power in your hands.