January 2005 - Partners in prosperity - Same-sex couples represent a major growth market for progressive-minded LTCI producers -Both Stuart H. Armstrong II ChFC, CLU and PridePlanners were mentioned in this article by David Port, of Senior Market Advisor.

It’s no secret within the financial services and wealth management industries that the aging of the baby boomer generation will provide senior-oriented professionals with unprecedented opportunities to grow their businesses for years to come. Read more...

August 2004 - Debra Neiman, CFP®, with Neiman & Associates Financial Services, LLC, was interviewed in the article "The Post-Nuclear Age" by Kristen French, Financial Planning.

You know the statistics: only 24% of the 105 million U.S. households consist of married couples with kids--and some of those people are remarried with blended kids. The message: financial planners should be prepared to work with divorced single parents, adoptive parents, blended families, same-gender partners, grandparents caring for grandchildren and adult children caring for aging parents.

From there, the article offers some mini-case studies of nontraditional clients and their advisors.

Debra Neiman, of Wakefield, MA is working with two women who were recently married under Massachusetts law. Alas, most of the 1,400 rights and benefits of marriage at the federal and state levels are still not available to them, so the goal is to plug the gaps. The couple won't be able to use survivor benefits to transfer assets tax-free, so Neiman has raised their life insurance coverage by 40%. They have opened jointly funded accounts to avoid triggering the gift tax. Despite the marriage, they still have to file separate returns for federal and state taxes, plus a "phantom" federal return that says they're married so they can calculate their state tax obligations correctly. The lesson here, not explicitly stated, is: don't try this at home. If you aren't skilled or trained in this area, then bring in planning, estate and tax professionals who can plug the gaps. The article recommends the Pride Planners network of financial planners as a place to start.

March 07, 2004 • Advice for Same-Sex Couples - PridePlanners Association was asked to comment in the article pubilshed by Santa Fe New Mexican (www.santafenewmexican.com) - Estate planning — “A same-sex couple’s best friend is a good estate-planning lawyer,” said David Walter, a Santa Fe divorce lawyer. “There are ways of tweaking the tax laws.” PridePlanners Association (www.prideplanners.com) specializes in estate planning for gays and lesbians. Visit www.santafenewmexican.com for more on this article.

By submitting this statement of interest, PridePlanners Association, along with a distinguished group of organizations such as the Boston Bar Association, signed onto the Amicus Brief that was filed with the Court. Click here to read an article highlighting the marriage case from Bay Windows newspaper.

It is important that you let us know what is going on in your state so that we can take action. We have much more influence as a group of over 110 professionals than we do individually. Please keep us posted on what is happening in your state by emailing us at info@prideplanners.com.