Articles by Alexis Martin Neely on ArticleSnatch.com

Penny Stock Broker - Full Service Or Discount?

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:54:05 -0500

Before you switch brokers or pick a broker for the first time, you should try to figure out what you need in a broker. Then lets dig deeper into what you should be looking for. Brokers come in two varieties: 1) Full Service Broker A full service broker usually gives a lot more personal attention to you - the client. They will first ask you about your investment objectives and goals. Once they have a better idea of what sort of returns you are looking for in the short and long-term they will suggest different investments to help you meet your goals. Not only will you get advice, but guidance through the trading transaction including timing and price. What will all this cost you? As you can expect, full service brokers don't come cheap. The commission is usually $100 or more. It depends on what other bells and whistles are being offered. Wondering why there is a need for full-service brokers? Investors with large portfolios or those need more guidance and have less time to spare for investing but have the funds to grow should use these brokers. **End Summary** Topics: law firm]]> law firm marketing]]> legal marketing]]> attorneys]]> lawyers]]> legal]]> law firm marketing conference]]> referrals]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> To pick the right discount broker & avoid costly mistakes visit --> http://www.brokerpennystock.com/ . Good luck choosing the best penny stocks broker .

Free Legal Marketing Tip: Prepare for Client Meetings as You Would For a Judge

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:46:26 -0400

Imagine standing before a judge...you've just stated your case and you're feeling super confident that a decision will be made on your behalf. Then she asks for that one key piece of information and you begin to flounder. You can't find your documents, you're nervous, and you're starting to say things that don't quite make sense. How do you "look" in that situation? Unprepared? Maybe even untrustworthy? Totally not professional. Most of us would never dream of showing up unprepared before a judge, but we think NOTHING of appearing completely disheveled, unprepared and even untrustworthy to potential clients. And that could be why are not engaging most of the prospects who come in to meet with you. So what does being unprepared at a client meeting look like? Consider the following real life examples: * You start a client meeting without everything you would need to engage the client and collect a check should your prospect say "yes" to your services. Instead, when someone does say yes, you have to leave the meeting room several times, holler for your secretary, wait for the forms to be printed, etc... You get the picture. **End Summary** Topics: legal marketing]]> law firm marketing]]> client egagment]]> law firm clients]]> law business]]> law business marketing secrets]]> law]]> legal]]> law firm]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely, CEO of Family Wealth Planning Institute , built a million dollar law business from scratch in just three short years by radically transforming the outdated business model used by estate planning attorneys across the United States. Lawyers can access her free business building and legal marketing tips, learn how to triple their profits and create the practice of their dreams by visiting lawbusinesssecrets.com

Wealth Secret: Gimme a Break! Or Maybe the Benefit of the Doubt...

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:23:17 -0400

When was the last time you gave someone the benefit of the doubt? If you are like most people, it's been a long time. What you probably do (most of us do!) is take every little thing personally. A friend is in a bad mood and makes a comment that you consider hurtful and your mind builds a whole story around how judgmental and demeaning she always is. Or, your spouse forgets to pick up the milk that you were waiting on as the vital ingredient in your dinner recipe and suddenly your mind focuses in on all of the other ways he has been absent-minded and forgetful about something you needed. Or your boss gets short and snippy with you when you make a simple mistake and suddenly you feel totally unappreciated and begin to hate your job. What if the next time someone in your life did something hurtful or mean-spirited, you recognized that it had nothing to do with you at all and you let it go instead of attaching a whole story to it? **End Summary** Topics: wealth secrets]]> wealth secret]]> small business tips]]> small business growth strategies]]> personal growth]]> community]]> surviving the economy]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer , author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine, Family Wealth Secrets , and have wealth advice delivered right to your inbox each week.

Wealth Secret: Stop Pointing Fingers and Start Taking Responsibility

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:56:36 -0400

As I mentioned a couple weeks back, the road to wealth is often paved with potholes, roadblocks, stinky piles of gunk and confusing forks in the road. And guess what? Most of those potholes and roadblocks are external reflections of your own internal gunk. One of the major differences between those who experience consistent growth both personally and financially and those who are stuck is the concept of taking personal responsibility. Let's look at some common ways this may present in your life: 1. You feel as if you are under appreciated by people around you. 2. You are angry that the coaching program you joined is not providing the results you believed you would receive. 3. Things seem to keep happening to you, such as speeding tickets, car accidents, or the loss of prized possessions. 4. Your phone is not ringing as much as it should. 5. You repeatedly get into fights or little disagreements with friends or family. You could look at any one of the situations I listed and come up with a reason that these things are happening that have nothing to do with you. **End Summary** Topics: wealth secrets]]> wealth secret]]> small business tips]]> small business growth strategies]]> personal growth]]> community]]> surviving the economy]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer , author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine, Family Wealth Secrets , and have wealth advice delivered right to your inbox each week.

Pre-Sell Your Prospects with a Killer Pre-Meeting Package

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:06:10 -0400

Someone calls your office and schedules an appointment to meet with you, then what? If you're like most lawyers, nothing happens, that's what. Your secretary simply blocks the time on your calendar and you sit back and wait. If that's the case, you are missing a primo opportunity to pre-sell your prospects before they even ever sit down with you, making it far more likely they'll write you a check when they do make it into your office. What you want to do instead of nothing is send out a killer pre-meeting package (PMP) that will wow your prospects before they even step foot in your door. Now, one thing to note - I personally only send out the PMP to people who have made an appointment to come into the office and meet with me. There are lawyers who send their PMP out and then set the appointment. This strategy did not work for me when I tried it. I found myself sending out a lot of PMPs and not getting the appointments made. The most difficult part of sending out a well-structured PMP is putting your very first one together. **End Summary** Topics: legal marketing]]> law firm marketing]]> client egagment]]> law firm clients]]> law business]]> law business marketing secrets]]> law]]> legal]]> law firm]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely, America's Personal Family Lawyer, built a million dollar law business from scratch in just three short years by radically transforming the outdated legal business model used by estate planning attorneys across the US. Lawyers can ac.cess her free business building and legal marketing tips , learn how to triple their profits and create the practice/lifestyle of their dreams by visiting her Law Business Revolution site here.

Say what you want, mean what you say

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:01:20 -0400

One of the most profound differences between those with wealth and those without is the ability to engage in direct, honest and straightforward communication. Until you've mastered the art of saying what you mean and meaning what you say in a loving manner to those around you, your wealth will never reach its full potential. You can't build a community or support network if you can't communicate directly and you need a support community to have wealth. If you need a refresher as to why you need a community to build wealth, please see part one and part two of our series on creating a loving and supportive community. So many misunderstandings, stress and, for lack of a better word-drama-can be resolved by simply communicating what you really want. Yet before you take this as a license to be brash and rude and simply spew all over people in the name of "direct, honest and straightforward communication," I need to make it clear that your communication must be thoughtful and loving. The objective is to build up the strength of your community, not tear it down in the process! **End Summary** Topics: wealth secrets]]> wealth secret]]> small business tips]]> small business growth strategies]]> personal growth]]> community]]> surviving the economy]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer , author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine, Family Wealth Secrets , and have wealth advice delivered right to your inbox each week.

Legal Marketing Tips: Learning the Do's and Donts of the Client Intake Process

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:25:50 -0400

In continuing our series on legal marketing strategies and client engagement, we are covering how your intake process (or lack thereof) affects the number of prospects—and eventually paying clients—who make it into your office each month. Hopefully by now you have a rough list of stats compiled that tells you how effective your overall client engagement process really is. But for the purpose of this lesson on client intake, I want you to grab that spreadsheet and focus on the number of prospects that called your office last week vs. the number of prospects that set up an appointment with your firm. If you're not showing at least a 50 % conversion rate and preferably 75%, you need to take a closer look at how your intake is being handled. There are 4 essential do's and donts that dictate this process and if you violate any one of these principles, you will see a direct downward impact on the number of appointments you set each month. To ensure you are getting the absolute best results from your intake process, take some time this week to implement these principles in your own firm: 1. **End Summary** Topics: legal marketing]]> law firm marketing]]> client egagment]]> law firm clients]]> law business]]> law business marketing secrets]]> law]]> legal]]> law firm]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely, CEO of Family Wealth Planning Institute , built a million dollar law business from scratch in just three short years by radically transforming the outdated business model used by estate planning attorneys across the United States. Lawyers can access her free business building and legal marketing tips, learn how to triple their profits and create the practice of their dreams by visiting lawbusinesssecrets.com

Wealth Secret: Create a Loving, Supportive Community

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:03:05 -0400

We've all heard the quote, "It takes a village to raise a child." Today, I'm presenting to you the idea that it not only takes a village to raise a child, but also to nurture and empower a successful, satisfied and happy adult. Whether you seek material wealth, emotional wealth or spiritual wealth, you must learn to foster and embrace your own support community to reach the highest of heights on your journey through life. The word "community" may look or feel differently for each person reading this article depending on your individual goals, but the fact remains that regardless of what it looks like, we each need a support system to help us when we are overwhelmed, uplift us when we are down, lend a word of wisdom when we are attempting to choose our path and rejoice with us—even over the little things - if we want to experience true wealth in every area of life. The reciprocal is true in that we must also learn to meet the needs of others who can't achieve their life's purpose unless we step up and become part of their vital community. **End Summary** Topics: wealth secrets]]> wealth secret]]> small business tips]]> small business growth strategies]]> personal growth]]> community]]> surviving the economy]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer , author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine, Family Wealth Secrets , and have wealth advice delivered right to your inbox each week.

Don't Spend One More Penny on Legal Marketing Until You Read This....

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:54:21 -0400

If you're like most lawyers, your legal marketing budget runs on average of $2,000- 4,000 a month. This might include everything from direct mail to email marketing, Google adwords campaigns, ads in local publications or seminars and networking lunches. When the phone starts ringing as a result of your marketing efforts, you are beyond happy and consider your marketing investment to be money well spent. But is it really? Not until you master the art of turning those phone calls into money in your pocket. Unfortunately, many of you are losing a whole lot of coin because you are investing in marketing without making the same investment in conversion. Fortunately, converting leads into clients won't cost you much more money than you are already spending to attract those leads, but it does require an upfront investment of your time and energy. Best yet, once you get it down, your lead to client conversion process can run without you. The place to start is to get a crystal clear understanding of where you are right now. Here's what you'll want to do: 1. **End Summary** Topics: legal marketing]]> law firm marketing]]> client egagment]]> law firm clients]]> law business]]> law business marketing secrets]]> law]]> legal]]> law firm]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely, CEO of Family Wealth Planning Institute , built a million dollar law business from scratch in just three short years by radically transforming the outdated business model used by estate planning attorneys across the United States. Lawyers can access her free business building and legal marketing tips, learn how to triple their profits and create the practice of their dreams by visiting lawbusinesssecrets.com

How to Let Go of the Biggest Time-Suck of Your Day

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

If you're anything like the majority of people today, one of the areas you are most bogged down in is your email. With hundreds of emails a day from clients, office staff, associates, family and friends, it's hard to get a handle on what really needs your attention and what can wait until later. And right now, you are the filter of it all-which means reading each and every email and responding (or forwarding them) accordingly. Email is a huge drain that is not only keeping you from your creative genius, but also from enjoying free time and staying on top of everything you need to do to meet your client's needs. Hard Lessons Learned from Productivity "Gurus" Until recently, I was very guilty of spending too much time filtering emails and responding to things that really didn't need my attention. A couple of years ago, I read Tim Ferris' book, the Four Hour Workweek, and even interviewed him for the Law Business Revolution members. Honestly, I tried to implement his suggestion of only checking email twice a day and using autoresponders to handle the rest. **End Summary** Topics: legal marketing]]> law business secrets]]> growing your law firm]]> law firm marketing]]> vitual law firm assistants]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer , author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine, Family Wealth Secrets , and have wealth advice delivered right to your inbox each week.

Wealth Secret: Using the Process of Manifestation to Obtain Your Dreams

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you the beginning process of creating life on your terms. That part of the process focused on clearing the way to allow possibilities into your life. Today, we are putting it into action. Creating life on your terms is easy, when you know the formula and you've practiced it for a while. There are some key places I see people get hung up pretty consistently, so we'll cover those too. You may be thinking, "Alexis, I'll never see life on my terms until I hit the lottery..... or get over this illness......or break out of this unhappy marriage". Well, friend, I'm here to tell you that you don't have to wait for the perfect situation to live life on your terms! In fact, I'm going to show you how to create life on your terms regardless of what your circumstances are right now through the process of manifestation. Now, before you dismiss what I'm about to say as woo-woo out there stuff, take a breath and listen. This works. It's worked for me over and over and over again for the past 5 years. It's required patience and perseverance. **End Summary** Topics: wealth secrets]]> family wealth planning]]> wealth planning]]> wealth management]]> legal marketing]]> law firm marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer , author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine, Family Wealth Secrets , and have wealth advice delivered right to your inbox each week.

How Legal Outsourcing Will Contribute to Profits and Satisfaction in Your Law Businss

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Are you sick of working 15 hour days? I'll show you how to STOP once and for all! As attorneys, we are all pretty much type-A perfectionists with control issues, right? While that personality has pushed us to excel, it is a HUGE liability when transferred into our businesses if we want a work/life balance that our families can live with. Why? Well, those personality traits translate into an inability to let go of those things that we could delegate or outsource. As a result, we end up spending most of our time working outside of our Creative Genius. Your Creative Genius is that thing you love to do, that you are really great at doing, and that provides the most value to your world. You may have more than one Creative Genius, but very rarely will you have more than a handful of things that meet all three of these criteria. As a lawyer, there are many, many, many things you can do, but that doesn't mean you should be doing them. **End Summary** Topics: legal marketing]]> law business secrets]]> growing your law firm]]> law firm marketing]]> vitual law firm assistants]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely, CEO of Family Wealth Planning Institute , built a million dollar law business from scratch in just three short years by radically transforming the outdated business model used by estate planning attorneys across the United States. Lawyers can access her free business building and legal marketing tips, learn how to triple their profits and create the practice of their dreams by visiting lawbusinesssecrets.com

Wealth Secret: Are You Stopping Your Own Success With Wealth Shame?

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

After sharing about my recent trip to Maui, I received the following email from one of my subscribers: "Alexis, I am on your mailing list. Thanks for all the information I love this kind of thing. However, I have a twinge every time you tell me about your next vacation. There are many people who may or may not get this that just lost their job, were laid off, hours cut back, losing their homes, etc. and your vacation...??!! I think I would just say you are going to be at a mastermind meeting. I am super sensitive to this as I have clients who are really in dire straits and this economy has hurt deep...and I would hate for them to stop reading when they are probably not going to get a vacation and may lose their car or their house." Before I go on, let me ask you - can you relate? How do you feel when I talk about the abundance I'm experiencing in my life? Do you get a "check" or a "twinge" or maybe something stronger? **End Summary** Topics: wealth secrets]]> family wealth planning]]> wealth planning]]> wealth management]]> legal marketing]]> law firm marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely, CEO of Family Wealth Planning Institute , built a million dollar law business from scratch in just three short years by radically transforming the outdated business model used by estate planning attorneys across the United States. Lawyers can access her free business building and legal marketing tips, learn how to triple their profits and create the practice of their dreams by visiting lawbusinesssecrets.com

Key Wealth Secrets: Having Life Values

Sat, 16 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

You might find this wealth secret hard to believe, but I grew up without values. Well, without conscious values. In fact, up until the last several years, the word "values" was completely amorphous to me and when asked what my values were, I couldn't answer honestly because I really didn't know. I don't recall my parents ever talking with me about their values and as I've looked around me, I'm able to clearly see that most people are passing on their values blindly and as a result our children are learning the wrong messages. Wealth Secrets: Don't Pass on "Inherited Values" Sure, I've inherited values. But those values came from places like People Magazine and Danielle Steele novels, not necessarily a recipe for everlasting success. If I allowed myself to be led by these values, I'd spend my life searching for the next great romance to sweep me off my feet and focused on what everyone else thinks of me instead of on my own internal compass. And trust me, this is a constant struggle. **End Summary** Topics: wealth secrets]]> family wealth planning]]> wealth planning]]> wealth management]]> legal marketing]]> law firm marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely, CEO of Family Wealth Planning Institute , built a million dollar law business from scratch in just three short years by radically transforming the outdated business model used by estate planning attorneys across the United States. Lawyers can access her free business building and legal marketing tips, learn how to triple their profits and create the practice of their dreams by visiting lawbusinesssecrets.com

More Streams of Revenue for Your Law Firm

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Recently, I introduced you to the first of three ways to build additional streams of revenue into your law firm and covered why it is so critical for the financial success of your business to do this. Today, we are talking about how you can be providing additional services across several practice areas to increase your attractiveness to a broader market without coming across as a jack of all trades and master of none. Most lawyers who are doing this completely and totally wrong. I don't want you to be, so let's begin by talking about what I mean by providing additional services. The way most lawyers do this is to take any kind of matter that walks in the door because they are desperate for business. Do not do this. Being a generalist is death for your business because you will not be able to systematize your business if you don't narrow your specialty, and you will not be able to effectively market and will not be seen as a trusted resource. Instead, focus in on the person you want to reach and then become the trusted advisor to that person. **End Summary** Topics: advisor]]> trusted advisor]]> lawyer]]> addtional services]]> broad market]]> niche]]> increase income]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely, America's Personal Family Lawyer, built a million dollar law business from scratch in just three short years by radically transforming the outdated legal business model used by estate planning attorneys across the US. Lawyers can ac.cess her free business building and legal marketing tips , learn how to triple their profits and create the practice/lifestyle of their dreams by visiting her Law Business Revolution site here.

Wealth Secret: Connect With Your Body & Find Your Fortune

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

After reading the title of this week's wealth secret, I'm sure you are wondering what the heck I am talking about - connect with your body and find your fortune. How can connecting with your body lead you to your fortune? Perfect, that's exactly what I want you to start asking. In fact, at this moment right now, close your eyes for 30 seconds and scan your body. What do you feel? If you are like most of us, the overriding feeling is nothing. Numbness. No feeling at all. Most of us live nearly totally in our heads. Our thoughts govern our actions. We pay very little attention to the signals our bodies are giving us because we no longer know how to listen. As a human race, we are shut down. Can you relate? If you can, there is something you can do about this. Before we talk about what you can do about it though, let me explain how doing something about it will bring you the family wealth you are seeking. Every single day, you make a myriad of decisions. Some big, some small, some ginormous, some miniscule. **End Summary** Topics: breathe]]> fortune]]> connect to your body]]> connect]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer, author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to more wealth, health and happiness by making smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine Family Wealth Secrets at http://www.PersonalFamilyLawyer.com and find the financial freedom you deserve.

Wealth Secrets: Don't Make Dumb Money Decisions

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

You can't stop investing just because the real estate and stock markets are declining. If you do, you are actually placing yourself at greater risk due to the forces of inflation. So, while your dollars are staying the same, apparently safe in your FDIC-insured savings account, prices will be going up. That means a loss of spending power for you and your family. At the same time, real estate and stocks may feel a little too risky for you right now. I understand. Fortunately, there are some great investments still available to you. You can never lose by investing in yourself. Whether its by investing in your business or in personal development courses or coaching, an investment in yourself will always pay the highest returns across the board. The investment in your own growth will pay returns not only for yourself, but for your family as well and for multiple generations. There's one thing you'll want to look for before making any investments, whether it be in home improvements, your business, personal development or anything else. Will the investment you are making improve the state of the world, whether its your world or the greater global world around you? **End Summary** Topics: investment]]> dollars]]> savings]]> returns]]> documents]]> personal familly lawyer]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer, author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to more wealth, health and happiness by making smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine Family Wealth Secrets at http://www.PersonalFamilyLawyer.com and find the financial freedom you deserve.

Family Wealth Planning is the Web 2.0 Version of Estate Planning

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Whereas "estate planning" is about preparing and passing on your financial assets at the end of your life, Family Wealth Planning is about making the right financial and legal decisions for your whole family wealth throughout your lifetime and leaving the world a better place after you are gone. Family wealth is about far more than just your money. Your family wealth is made up of your financial, intellectual, spiritual and human assets - who you are and what's important to you. And, I bet if I asked you to choose between the four of those which would be most important for you to leave behind at the end of your life (and you could only choose one group), I bet you'd choose something other than financial. Why? Because your loved ones can always make more money. But, they cannot replace your values, your stories, your insights and your experiences. Yet, these are so often overlooked and not passed on. Family Wealth Planning is about capturing the assets that are most valuable, and sadly most often lost when someone dies ... the intellectual, spiritual and human assets that make us who we are. **End Summary** Topics: legacy]]> assets]]> financial]]> family wealth planning]]> lawyer]]> personal family lawyer]]> intellectual assets]]> spiritual assets]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer, author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to more wealth, health and happiness by making smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine Family Wealth Secrets at http://www.FamilyWealthSecrets.com and find the financial freedom you deserve.

Wealth Secrets You Know, But May Not Be Utilizing

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I'm part of a Mastermind program with 11 other high level entrepreneurs with businesses ranging from coaching to financial advising to fitness to tantra to wedding planning and I'm learning so much about wealth and success just by being part of this group that I now get to share with you. For those of you who don't know what a Mastermind group is, it was made popular by Napoleon Hill in his most well known work, Think and Grow Rich. I first read the book about 5 years ago when I was looking for as much information as I could get my hands on about success and building a great business. As soon as I read it, I began looking for a Mastermind group of my own to join as Hill attributes much of the success of the industrial baron's of the 1900s to the concept of Mastermind groups. He says as Mastermind group is: "The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony." He continues ... **End Summary** Topics: mastermind]]> self care]]> wealth]]> wealth secrets]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer, author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to more wealth, health and happiness by making smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine Family Wealth Secrets at http://www.FamilyWealthSecrets.com and find the financial freedom you deserve.

What if YOUR Lawyer Dies, Retires or Stops Practicing Law?

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

My recent announcement that I would be closing my law firm raised a lot of questions for people who hadn't thought about what would happen if their lawyer died, retired or stop practicing law. So, this week's article clues you in on what you need to know. In the typical scenario, if you've done estate planning with a lawyer and he or she dies, retires or goes out of business, it means you need to start your planning over with a new lawyer. What does that mean to you? Generally, it means you will find a new lawyer and he or she will have to create a whole new plan for you. This can mean incurring thousands of dollars in planning fees all over again! Yes, that's true. Almost no lawyers will take over the planning that has been completed by another lawyer and pick up where you left off with that lawyer. Why? Because it means your new lawyer would be taking the risk that your prior lawyer made mistakes that he or she didn't catch. That's too big of a liability risk for your new lawyer to take on. So, that means you have to begin again. **End Summary** Topics: lawyer]]> practice]]> planning session]]> retire]]> stop practicing]]> law]]> personal family lawyer]]> family lawyer]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer, author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to more wealth, health and happiness by making smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine Family Wealth Secrets at http://www.PersonalFamilyLawyer.com and find the financial freedom you deserve.

Are Your Personal Assets at Risk From Your Business?

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Lately, I've had a lot of people asking me whether they should incorporate their business and if so, what form of entity to use. Of course, there is no universal answer. If there was, there'd be only one kind of business entity. Before we talk about what kind of entity is right for your business, let's do a quick review on what is an entity and why you need one for your business. Think of an entity as a structure that will hold the assets (and liabilities) of your business. You can imagine this structure as anything that works for you. I like to think of it as a bubble. This bubble can come in the form of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a Corporation (either an S-Corporation or a C-Corporation). There are also forms of partnerships, including a Limited Partnership (LP), but if you are considering that, make sure you are working with an actual lawyer who is counseling you personally. When you create an LLC or Corporation for your business, envision that you are blowing a bubble around your business like a shield. **End Summary** Topics: LLC]]> corporation]]> liabilities]]> business]]> incorporated]]> personal assets]]> S-corp]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer, author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to more wealth, health and happiness by making smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine Family Wealth Secrets at http://www.FamilyWealthSecrets.com and find the financial freedom you deserve.

LLC or S-Corp? Which is the Right Entity Form For Your Business?

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Last week, we talked about what a business entity is and whether you should use one for your business, .. the short answer? Yes, if you want to grow your business and shield your personal assets from your business activities. This week, we'll cover what kind of entity you should use and where you should set that entity up. You'll recall, we are really talking about either an LLC (Limited Liability Company) or an S-Corp (Corporation filing an election for special taxation with the IRS). You can form a C-Corporation or a Limited Partnership, but if you are considering that, make sure you are talking to a lawyer who is familiar with the specifics of your specific situation and is advising you personally. With both LLCs and S-Corps, you are taxed only once on the income of the entity , meaning that all of the income and expenses will be reported on an information return filed with the IRS, but the actual taxes are paid by the shareholders or members of the entity. This is called pass-through taxation. You'll recall from last week, that I said the purpose of your business entity is to limit your liability as a business owner. **End Summary** Topics: asset protection]]> LLC]]> S-corp]]> entity]]> new business]]> expenses]]> taxes]]> income]]> outside asset protection]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer, author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to more wealth, health and happiness by making smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine Family Wealth Secrets at http://www.FamilyWealthSecrets.com and find the financial freedom you deserve.

Fighting About Money?

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Growing up, I think my parents fought a lot about money. I say "think" because I can't really remember it as I've blocked a lot of it out. But, I have vague memories of it. And, I'm sure after reading this, my mom will call me up to verify my memory. But, I do know they were not on the same page financially ... at all. My dad was the kind of guy who thought of money as "easy come, easy go." If he had it, he spent it. All of it. If he didn't have it, that was okay too. But, he'd be cooking up some way to get some. There were times when I was a kid that our electricity would get turned off because my dad didn't (or couldn't) pay the bill. We didn't have health insurance. I remember my mom wanting to take me to the orthodontist, but not being able to because we owed so much money on our account. My mom came from a well off family who had been financially stable. Not paying bills and going bare on the health insurance were not part of her programming. **End Summary** Topics: money]]> fight]]> finances]]> disagreement]]> parents]]> children]]> focus]]> perspective]]> economic affairs]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer, author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to more wealth, health and happiness by making smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine Family Wealth Secrets at http://www.FamilyWealthSecrets.com and find the financial freedom you deserve.

Tying the Financial Knot. What to Know Before You Get Married.

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The day my ex-husband and I combined our finances was far more significant to me than the day we got married. Marriage was a big party and a piece of paper signed by the County Recorder. Combining our bank accounts was a much bigger deal. On the day we combined our bank accounts, I knew we were making a financial commitment to each other that would be difficult to unravel if things didn't work out. And they were. Here's a few things I wish I had known before we combined our finances: 1. Taxes If you are married on the last day of the year, you will file a joint tax return for that whole year. Even if you get married on December 31, you still file jointly for the whole year. Yes, you can file as married people filing separately, but that's not the same as filing two separate tax returns. You are still taxed as a married couple. This could save you money or it could cost you money. Generally speaking, if you earn similar amounts of money, filing jointly will probably cost you more money. **End Summary** Topics: marriage]]> financial planning]]> debt]]> finances]]> taxes]]> estate planning]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Alexis Martin Neely is America's Personal Family Lawyer, author of the bestselling book "Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly - and Essential - Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents" and the nation's leading legal expert guiding you to more wealth, health and happiness by making smart financial and legal decisions for your family. Subscribe to Alexis' free online magazine Family Wealth Secrets at http://www.FamilyWealthSecrets.com and find the financial freedom you deserve.