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Who We Are

Heritage Partners is a company made up of people who passionately care about you, your family and your well-being. We have heard story after story about people who are losing their life's savings unnecessarily. They are then having to go back to work, re-finance their homes or live with their children. We help educate people about the fact that there are other options out there. We represent the very best of the best in safe investment options. That way, you can stay retired and enjoy your life with no financial worries. We also provide the solid foundation to protect all of your assets to ensure they get passed on to those you choose. We are honored to serve you.

Probate

Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person’s property under a valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator’s will. A probate proceeding interprets the instructions of the deceased, decides the executor as the personal representative of the estate, and adjudicates the interests of heirs and other parties who may have claims against the estate.How do I avoid Probate?Probate generally lasts several months, occasionally over a year before all the property is distributed, and may incur substantial court and attorney costs. One of the many ways to avoid probate is to execute a revocable living trust. A settlor, or a creator of a trust, transfers ownership of his real property from himself to a trust which he controls and can revise (except in the case of an irrevocable trust.)...

Estate Taxes

Upon your death, the federal government imposes a death tax called the Federal Estate Tax. It applies to all estates that exceed $1,000,000.00. The value of your estate is determined by adding the value of all your property, including your home, stocks, bonds, bank accounts, life insurance on your life, pension and profit sharing benefits, IRA benefits and any other benefit or property in which you have an interest.

The Federal Estate Tax begins at 37 percent and rises to a maximum of 50 percent of the estate. Death tax rates are higher than the income tax rates that you pay during your life. Generally, the federal estate tax is due and payable nine months after the descendants' death.

Market Risk

Market risk is the risk of losses in positions arising from movements in market prices. Some market risks include:

Equity risk, the risk that stock or stock indexes (e.g. Euro Stoxx 50, etc. ) prices and/or their implied volatility will change.

Interest rate risk, the risk that interest rates (e.g. Libor, Euribor, etc.) and/or their implied volatility will change.

Currency risk, the risk that foreign exchange rates (e.g. EUR/USD, EUR/GBP, etc.) and/or their implied volatility will change.

Commodity risk, the risk that commodity prices (e.g. corn, copper, crude oil, etc.) and/or their implied volatility will change.

Inflation Risk

Inflation Risk is the possibility that the value of assets or income will decrease as inflation shrinks the purchasing power of a currency. Inflation causes money to decrease in value at some rate, and does so whether the money is invested or not.

Nursing Home Protection

Nursing home care can be an essential need for many elderly people, but the expenses incurred from nursing home care can be costly. Many times, if a person who enters a nursing home has assets, either Medicaid or the nursing home will attempt to take the assets to pay for expenses. There are, however, a few steps you can take to help protect your assets from nursing home expenses.

Trust vs. Will

A will is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage their estate and provides for the transfer of their property at death. A will may also create a testamentary trust that is effective only after the death of the testator.

In the United States, a living trust refers to a trust that may be revocable by the trust creator or settlor (known by the IRS as the Grantor). Living trusts are often used because they may allow assets to be passed to heirs without going through the process of probate. Avoiding probate will normally save substantial costs (the probate courts, in some states, charge a fee based on a percentage net worth of the deceased), time, and maintain privacy (the probate records are available to the public, while distribution through a trust is private)....

Protecting Your Family's Heritage

Heritage Partners is focused on providing high-quality estate planning, preservation and protection services as well as customer satisfaction - we will do everything we can to meet your expectations!

Tony & Nancy Friendshuh

Founders, Heritage Partners