ESTATE SHRINKAGE PROFILES

You may be interested in what the public probate records of the estates of businessmen, attorneys, entertainers, accountants and even a President have to show.

Source: Public Probate Records

If these people, who had access to the best advice money could buy, were not able to avoid the "unwanted heirs" (federal and state estate taxes and estate administrative costs), it will be difficult for the rest of us to avoid estate settlement costs.

Proper advance planning, however, can minimize the impact of estate settlement costs on the value of your estate.

MESSAGES
from the Masters...

CLEAN OUT THE CLOSETS OF YOUR LIFE

by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Clean out the closets of your life. Have you ever looked at the clothes in your closet with a critical eye: the bargain shoes in the wrong color; the expensive suit you got on sale that never fit; the "great" shirt that was a gift from someone you love?

I had all of those items in my closet. Then a wardrobe consultant friend came over and made me clean out the clothes that didn't fit or that no longer represented my self-image. It was an exhilarating feeling. Now the clothes I wear make me feel and look great, and project the image I like.

Your clothes closet isn't the only hiding place for negative things in your life. You have a self-image closet too. Take a serious look at what you find there. Try cleaning it out. Throw out ideas that no longer fit your lifestyle or your experiences.

Clean your closet of certain old friends as well -- the ones who have become acquaintances. Too often we spend our energies with people whose interests have grown apart from ours.

Clean the negative people out of your life's closet. Some folks cannot accept your achievements, insisting it's only a "fluke" when you finally attain a great goal. Their own insecurities require them to shoot other people down. It is time to let them know you are proud of your achievements, and then move on to someone who will support you in your endeavors.

Closets may be hiding places for our outmoded clothes and ideas, but they are also where we store the building blocks for our daily lives. Don't let them get cluttered with outdated ideas.

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QUOTES
from the Masters...

On Personal Development

"Pity the man who inherits a million dollars and who isn't a millionaire. Here's what would be pitiful: If your income grew and you didn't."

-- Jim Rohn

"Dedicate yourself to continuous personal improvement -- you are your most precious resource."

-- Brian Tracy

"No one limits your growth but you. If you want to earn more, learn more. That means you'll work harder for a while; that means you'll work longer for a while. But you'll be paid for your extra effort with enhanced earnings down the road."

-- Tom Hopkins

On Personal Responsibility

"If you're proactive, you don't have to wait for circumstances or other people to create perspective expanding experiences. You can consciously create your own."

-- Stephen R. Covey

"Don't become a victim of yourself. Forget about the thief waiting in the alley; what about the thief in your mind?"

-- Jim Rohn

"Self-responsibility is the core quality of the fully mature, fully functioning, self-actualizing individual."

-- Brian Tracy

"The highest manifestation of life consists in this: that a being governs its own actions. A thing which is always subject to the direction of another is somewhat of a dead thing."

-- St. Thomas Aquinas