Sooner rather than later, the crocuses, daffodils and tulips will pop.  Then comes the Tax Man.  Whether you do taxes yourself or use an accountant, talk to a professional about your assets.

Do not forget interest rates on mortgages are at historic lows.  We have referral sources that give great deals to our clients.

This is a great time to look at your estate plan.  Over the past few years many things have happened in your life or in the lives of your family that necessitate reviewing and modifying your wills, trusts, powers of attorney and health care proxies.

You should also be looking at the beneficiaries of your life insurance and your 401(k)s to see if they make sense.

If you or your parents are thinking about a nursing home, it is time to do Medicaid Planning and long term care insurance.

You are punishing yourself and your children if you do not try and save assets.  You have heard all the ads on TV and radio about asset protection and reverse mortgages and Medicaid planning.  We can and will advise you in all of these areas and we will not build in the cost of advertising – as those others do.

Call us today and set up an appointment.  … And one more thing:  DON’T FORGET ABOUT BREAKFAST WITH BARRY! Call me 617-786-0800

2012

A new year, a good time to get your legal house in order.

Here is a simple checklist:

1. Prepare an estate plan, complete with wills, trusts,  powers of attorneys and healthcare proxy. This is especially important if  you are divorced or newly married.
2. Prepare a succession plan for your business.
3. Protect your non business assets.
4. Talk with your parents about estate and Medicaid  planning.

Make three plans for yourself and your family to address each of these issues:  a plan for this
week, one for this month, and one for this year.

Make certain that everyone who needs to know what you  want to do and need to do, are aware and will be there to help.

Think out what your plans are, be willing to adjust if  that is possible.  Finalize the plans and  execute them.  If you trip up a bit, then  readjust and move forward.  Don’t take ‘no’  for an answer, if it is only because someone else said you cannot do what you  want to do.  Different professionals have  different ideas.

Call me, Barry Gordon at 617 786-0800 or bgordon@gmo-law.com.  I will meet with you promptly and answer your questions and respond.

Happy New Year!

P.S. we handle lots of refinances and make referrals to  really good lenders.

Barry Gordon

‘BREAKFAST WITH BARRY’ FEATURES FREE NEW YEAR PLANNING

 Everyone promises to make New Year’s resolutions.  Everyone promises to do better.  So to make the most of your resolutions and  promises, here are my suggestions based on my experience as a practicing  attorney since 1969:

• Shed people who bring nothing positive to your life.
• Shed bad habits, slowly and deliberately.  Do not overpromise yourself.
• Find professionals who can help you preserve and grow your business.
• Get second opinion.
• Tell the professionals whom you work with what you like about the service they provide, and what can be fixed.
• Stop obsessing about what happened in the past.  Do not forget about those things — but put them in perspective.  Do not repeat bad history but use bad history to create a good future.
• Treat your coworkers with respect and expect respect in return.  Bring in help to fix the problems or
  separate yourself from the problems.
• HAVE BREAKFAST WITH BARRY. FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY:  you pay for breakfast and we meet without a fee:  one hour no charge. (Note: Offer may be withdrawn at anytime)
• Send me an email and tell me what you expect from your attorney.

Wishing you a joyous Chanukah, Merry Christmas,
Happy New Year and a healthy and happy future.

Barry Gordon
617 786 0800
bgordon@gmo-law.com.

Barry Gordon

Twenty Years and Counting

Well, I was not there at the beginning of SSWBN — but as soon as the door opened I entered.  The people I have met are among the most hardworking I know.

My good friend and insurance agent, the late Joan Ryder, and I had been having a friendly and fascinating discussion that sounded like:  “So why can’t men join?  It’s not fair.  I want your business and you want mine.”

To the best of my knowledge only one woman left because I entered the forbidden kingdom of SSWBN !

Through the good times, and they have been mostly good times, I have made lots of friends and enjoyed myself immensely.  The most important thing I learned came to me as a member of the Board of Directors:  Never get up to go to the men’s room.  You get voted in as Secretary upon your return.

I aspired to but never learned to pass a ball of yarn from member to member “to keep the organization well knit and bonded.”

I learned a lot about Venus and Mars negotiations, specifically when to keep my mouth shut and when to be assertive and when to get aggressive! I learned how women get their way and how men get theirs.  Nothing ever changes except what we all do together to make our lives better.

At Gordon, Mond & Ott, P.C. we practice the same philosophy.  We try and provide sound and sensible advice.  We put out the caution flags when necessary and bring out the cannons when appropriate.  We realize how stressed people become in new situations.  We recognize how complex the law is and why the legal advice is only a portion of the advice we provide.  Much of what we provide is the opportunity to talk about feelings and desires and the goals to be achieved.

Once we learn about our clients’ needs and wants we work towards building the legal framework to support our clients.

Here, here:  to another 20 years.

Call me, please at 617 786 0800, or email me, Barry Gordon, at bgordon@gmo-law.com.

Barry Gordon

Planning for 2012

In case you have not heard, mortgage rates are lower than they have ever been … well,
for at least as far back as I can remember.  Refinancing, assuming you qualify,
is a no-brainer.  Call Barry Gordon for a referral.

Additionally, if you have decided that you cannot afford to keep your home, and you want to toss in the towel, 2011 is the last time you will not be taxed on mortgage
forgiveness.  This tax break will be eliminated as current law stands.  Call Barry Gordon for advice.

The homestead laws have changed, and for anyone who has not declared a homestead,  ask yourself, why not?  For $100 including the recording fee, we will prepare on for you.  Call Barry Gordon for help.

We would like to talk about your estate planning. E ffective January 1, 2012, the laws will change;  and unless you do some planning or change your plan, everything you thought was true may not be true any longer.  While we do charge for a consultation, the charge is then credited to the planning.  Call Barry Gordon to get moving.

Also, alimony and child support rules are changing.  Call us to discuss your current situation and what might be affected by the new laws.  Call Barry Gordon.

Do not sit idly by and let the government and others dictate your future.  Gordon, Mond & Ott, P.C. is a full service law firm that can assist you and make your life less stressful and less complicated.

Call me, please at 617 786 0800, or email me, Barry Gordon, at bgordon@gmo-law.com.

Barry Gordon

Hope the summer is not quite over … but it is time to think about
planning for the fall and whatever that may bring.

As you know, I am a perpetual optimist. This is so even though the damned
fools in D.C. haven’t figured “it” out.  While they are busy dickering over immaterial  details, you should save a bit more than you think you need to save and spend for only what you need.

Protect what you have by filing a homestead on your residence, put assets
into trusts if you need to do so, start thinking about Medicaid planning and make sure your parents and aunts and uncles have done so.

Put together a business plan, a succession plan and a vacation plan.  Bad stuff happens no matter what, so please be prepared.  Put important agreements in  writing and do not trust that everyone will do the right thing.

Starting January 1, 2012 there will be new rules  regarding wills. Make sure that you have one and that it is up to date. Even if you do not have one, the rules will change about who gets what you have.

Make certain your kids know what the future holds and teach them how to  enjoy life and do not hide the bad things from them.

I am offering the first ten SSWBN members “BREAKFAST WITH BARRY.”  You buy breakfast, and I give advice. This  offer is good during September and October.  By the way “breakfast” can happen
any time of day.

Barry Gordon, bgordon@gmo-law.com.  A member of the SSWBN from almost the beginning.

Barry Gordon

Talk About Avoiding Pitfalls and Bumps

 I have many sayings and bits of lawyer humor that I toss into my newsletters such as:  “Just because someone throws you a ball, does not mean you have to catch it — you should, however, step out of the way;”  and “Where there is a will, there is a relative.”

 All of these sayings have a basis in real life.  Much of my practice involves working with individuals and their businesses and families unwinding difficult relationships and avoiding potential problems.  Most people have a very focused perspective of their surroundings and the future.  We work with our clients to minimize and hopefully eliminate the “distractions” that cost them money and time and keep them from achieving their goals on a timely basis.

If more peaceful nights and happier days are included in your goals, then call me.  If your family life is totally disruptive, if your work place is totally disruptive, if you are unhappy, confused unfocused and just plain “p—-ed” off … call me, and we will set up a “Breakfast with Barry.”  I will listen and suggest and cajole and recommend and … who knows what else?  I think you’ll like what you get out of it.

Barry Gordon, bgordon@gmo-law.com.  A member of the SSWBN from almost the beginning.

Protect Yourself

 I am an unabashed optimist but often find myself in the position of tempering my optimism with the practical need to protect myself and my clients.

 Anyone who does not have a homestead on their principal residence is just plain stupid.  

 Go on the website for the county registry of deeds in the county where your property is located.  The site will explain what a homestead is and the process.  If you do not know in which county your property is located go onto www.masslandrecords.com .  If you prepare the homestead yourself the only fee you pay is the recording fee.   

If you would like us to prepare it we charge $100.00 to prepare it and arrange to get it recorded.

 While you are thinking about protecting yourself consider putting a new will/trust/ estate plan in place.  Make sure your insurance policies are up to date, that you have enough coverage, and that you have named the correct beneficiaries.  

 Divorce and death often necessitate changes.  Call me — I can help.

Barry Gordon
Attorney at Law
bgordon@gmo-law.com

Barry Gordon

 Learned From Abroad

 My wife and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Europe.  It was perfect.  We were on a riverboat in Netherlands and Belgium, saw the tulips, and ate the mussels.  

 I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking with people all over the world.  The most insightful people were the cab drivers.  One came from Azerbaijan and one came from Turkey via Georgia and Armenia.  They came to Europe for a better life.  They were not political or terrorists.  They wanted a better life for their families.  One had a son who had autism and one a daughter who was studying at a university on a full scholarship.  

 One of our waiters, a young man, came from Egypt.  When I asked him about Obama, he had a thoughtful answer:  “He has many difficult decisions to make.”  My gut reaction was that they were happy to see Osama bin Laden gone and were hoping for more business.  

 Upon return home, my taxi driver was from Morocco and brought his parents here every year so they get good medical diagnoses.  None of them like the politicians.  You will find none of this in The Boston Globe or any popular magazine.

 Why is this relevant to a column on legal advice?  It is relevant because it explains how I look at a client’s issues:  how I listen, ask and advise.  None of this is in a textbook.  When I work with a client it is with the purpose of coming up with a thoughtful solution that often addresses much more than the original issue that the client expressed.

Barry Gordon
Attorney at Law
bgordon@gmo-law.com

Barry Gordon

 What has your imagination allowed you to do?  Are you stymied by your imagination, or stimulated by it?  

 Imagination that has kept you from moving forward and tackling old issues and creating new adventures is called fear.  Who has told you that you could not do what you wanted to do?  Was it your lawyer, your accountant, your financial advisor?  If it was, then simply stated, you have the wrong professionals working with you.  You have the wrong staff around you and your business plan is wrong.

 If you spend 15-hour days, six days a week working at your business and are surrounded by negative professionals and staff, then make a change.  

 At Gordon, Mond & Ott, P.C., I, Barry Gordon, and my staff will work with you to spearhead a team of positive and realistic professionals and associates who will give you the opportunity to move forward.  We will bring in a team that will include accountants, psychologists, financial advisors, marketing folks, publicists and whomever else you need to give you the flexibility and expertise to do your best.

 At Gordon Mond & Ott this is what we do every day.  We scrupulously and diligently represent our clients.  Call us and see what we are about.

 P.S. there is a new homestead law.  Take advantage of it:  call us!

 Barry Gordon, Gordon, Mond & Ott, P.C., bgordon@gmo-law.com
Ask About Breakfast with Barry!

This column constitutes legal advertising, and as such provides information about the law designed to help users safely cope with their own legal needs.  But legal information is not the same as legal advice — the application of law to an individual’s specific circumstances.  Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult a lawyer if you want professional assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.