You might have the impression that estate planning is an exercise that primarily has value for the ultra wealthy. While this is certainly true, estate planning, or in more direct terms, planning for your death, is an effort that makes sense for everyone.

In the simplest sense you should have a plan if...

• someone is dependent on you for economic support, especially if that someone has special physical, mental or emotional needs.
• your absence is a recipe for confusion. Planning will leave only the emotional debt because the financial organization is in place.
• you want to guarantee that your beneficiaries do not suffer the financial erosion of your years of hard work due to debts or taxes.

On a more complex level, you should develop a plan if...

• you have a business or business interests that require a successor or an exit strategy.
• you’d like to keep the family tradition of spending time together alive by keeping your vacation property in the family.
• you would create a legacy by endowing your favorite charity instead of leaving those funds to the federal government.
• you have the ability to ease the financial worries of your children and your grandchildren

But, mostly a plan is a personal roadmap of how you see the future. This should be an organized future that works for you and, equally important, the people who are counting on you. -S.S.

Is your car carrying the same VIN as a car in California? In a new twist on identity theft, car thieves are stealing the VIN numbers of legally registered vehicles. The stolen VIN is placed on stolen cars of the same make and model to give them a "legitimate" identity. Very few states have VIN databases that cross-check, so the extent of this theft is unknown.

If you have a friend or colleague that is looking for a new home, please feel free to offer them our name to assist them in the process. We can provide our expertise and help them avoid any surprises when insuring their new home.