One cannot stress enough the importance of having a will and living trust. Nobody likes to think about dying, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen to all of us at some point. In preparing for the inevitable, it’s extremely important to plan so that your final wishes are carried out after you’re gone or incapacitated to the point where you’re unable to communicate your wishes.

Without a will and/or a trust, the courts have rules for determining how your assets are distributed, who custody of your children goes to and what happens if you’re incapacitated (in a coma, on life support, etc.). You don’t have any say in how these rules are applied, nor do any of your family or friends. Also, without a trust your estate must go through the probate process, which often costs in the vicinity of $20,000 and takes 1 to 1 1/2 years to complete.

However, with a will and living trust everything changes. First of all, you make all the rules. You decide who your possessions go to, and under what circumstances. You decide who gets custody of your children. With a living trust, your estate avoids probate entirely, and thus not only are the costs of administering your estate greatly reduced but it’s done right away.

You’ll see online kits for building your own trusts, but due to the complexity of the law and the dire consequences if you make a mistake, I would strongly recommend you work with an attorney who specializes in estate planning. You should expect to pay $1,500 to $2,000 to have this completed, but it is well worth it in the long run.

Paul Parotti, LPL Financial Planner

By: Heather Peck, Rosen & Company West

Every state is different when it comes to foreclosures. And in times like these, things have changed. Even here in Las Vegas, it used to be if they foreclosed on your house, the sheriff showed with someone from the bank up a day to two later to evict you, lock you out and then make arrangements for you to come back and get your stuff.

But these are troubled times, and there are large numbers of homes being foreclosed on every day. Currently, at least in Las Vegas, if your house is not purchased at auction by an investor or new owner occupant, the bank will assign your property to an asset manager. This could be a real estate agent or an asset management company who takes care of the property until the bank is ready to list the house.

The asset manager or agent will come by and do an occupancy check to see who’s living in the house. If its a rental tenant, they have different rights than the previous owner.

If you’re a tenant with a lease, the bank has to, by law, give you at least 90 days to make arrangements to move. They may offer you cash to move sooner, or if you have a lease that doesn’t expire for a longer period of time, they are supposed to honor the terms of your lease. This doesn’t mean you don’t have to continue to pay rent, it just means you’ll pay it to the asset management company or whoever the bank chooses while you make plans to move. Another alternative is to go get prequalified and buy the house you’re living in.

If you are the previous owner, the process is a little different. After they do the occupancy check and discover you are still living in the house, they will probably still offer you a cash for keys offer, giving you 30 days to move and also offering you up to $1500 to move and leave the property in good condition. But make no mistake, you have to move out. You have no rights, and the bank is just trying to protect their interest by offering you cash so you won’t trash and strip the property when you move. They could call the sheriff and have you evicted if they wanted to. Once the title went back to the bank (and it usually only takes 1 day to record back into the banks name), you’re tresspassing and subject to immediate eviction.

Another scenario is when an investor buys the house. They may actually come and try to make a deal with you, offering to rent the property to you for a couple of years, and possibly sell it back to you on a lease option. Depending on your current financial situation, this may or may not be a good option for you. Rent may be less than what your house payment was, and you don’t have to move. They will probably want an option payment, but you haven’t paid a mortgage payment for 6 or 7 months so hopefully you now have a little cash set aside.

Lastly, a new owner occupant may have bought the property at the auction. This is now beginnning to occur more frequently. They have the right to evict you. They too may offer you a small financial incentive to move or they may show up with the sheriff. Its their call. Remember, once the property sold to someone else, you’re trespassing.

Foreclosure is a difficult situation and no fun for anyone. This process as I described may or may not work in other states or even cities across the country. Take the time to find out how it works where you live. Talk to a couple of agents who specialize in foreclosures in your town.

Please don’t put your head in the sand. No one wants the sheriff to show up and tell them they have to get out NOW!

If you’re behind on your mortgage, or you think you’re going to be, call a professional and find out what your options are. The sooner you do, the more options you have. They may include a loan modification, forensic audit, deed in lieu, short sale or foreclosure. Some processes are just bandaids, some are real solutions depending on your situation. There is lots of help out there, and a lot of it is free.

Contact Heather: 702-595-7380 or email: LasVegasExpert@yahoo.com

The average person has the same fear of public speaking. Actually I feel that it is not the fear of speaking, it is the fear of making a complete ass of yourself in front of a room full of people. THAT is the fear. I was on the Speech and Debate team in high school and even won a few competitions. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have no trouble speaking my mind. So what is it that makes public speaking so difficult. For me on this night, it was the microphone. I can count on one hand how many times I have held a microphone. Furthermore, not one of those times was a pleasant experience.

Therefore, It is not the fear of public speaking I have – rather the fear of the microphone~!!!!
I invite your comments on this subject.

Top 7 Practical Tips For Overcoming Stage Fright
By Chris Widener

As one who does some speech coaching, I have heard all of the crazy ideas on how to conquer stage fright, but I think in more basic ideas. Actually, just a few. Here they are:

Know your stuff! The best thing you can do is to be overwhelmingly, thoroughly, and completely prepared and in mastery of your material. Much of the fear comes from wondering if you will make a mistake, or if the audience will know more than you. There is one sure way to beat that and that is by knowing your material inside and out.

Focus on getting through the first five minutes. That is where the problem lies. Rarely do you see someone who seems fearful all the way through his or her presentation, do you? No, they settle in and get comfortable after a while. Don’t look at it as a fifty-minute speech. Look at it as a five-minute speech.

Breathe! Fear is a bodily reflex and one that you can overcome. When you get afraid, you start to breathe in short, fast breaths. Before you speak, or while you are being introduced, you should sit quietly and breathe slow, deep breaths.

Tell yourself that the world won’t fall apart if you do a rotten job. Face it; unless you are delivering the State of the Union Address, the world will keep right on revolving if you don’t do well. Even as a professional speaker there are times when I don’t do as well as I want to (Very, very rarely though – keep those bookings coming!). People usually appreciate it anyway and you’ll keep right on going.

Understand that you are your own worst critic. I had some friends who used to play in all the hot clubs in New York City and I would occasionally go with them to watch them perform. Afterwards they would say, “Oh man, we were terrible tonight!” I hadn’t thought so. The audience hadn’t thought so either. Most people aren’t going to come to your presentation with the goal of picking you apart. So you shouldn’t pick yourself apart either. Obviously, this is mainly for the one giving the occasional talk, not the professional speaker.

Understand that most of the people in the audience would be scared to death to give a speech too, and are glad that it is you and not them! For the occasional speaker, it is okay to say, “Excuse my nerves, I am not used to this.” When I hear that, I root for the guy, not cut him apart (Unless I paid big bucks to be there.)

Make ‘em laugh. That is the best way to start with a crowd. I have a joke that I start 95% of all of my speeches with. It is a guaranteed laugh and always settles the crowd in. Sometimes it has nothing to do with my topic and I just say, “What does that have to do with my topic? Nothing, but I just love that joke!” Then I go into my speech, and we are all a little more relaxed because we have laughed together.
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Get Chris’ FREE Made for Success Ezine by sending a blank email to success-on@mail-list.com or visit his website at http://www.madeforsuccess.com.
You can contact Chris for speaking engagements or any other reason at chris@madeforsuccess.com or by phone at 425-444-GOAL (4625).

Source: http://Top7Business.com/?expert=Chris-Widener