mburkhardt@burkhardtlaw.com | (314) 518-1581

Burkhardt Law

  • About
    • Who is Martha Burkhardt?
    • Our Mission
    • Client Testimonials
    • What is Different About Burkhardt Law?
    • Contact Us
    • Free Consultation Request
  • Trusts & Estates
    • Why Estate Planning?
    • Is it Time for a Will?
    • What is a Trust?
    • Power of Attorney
    • Deeds
    • Estate Planning Consultations
    • The Impact of a Health Care Directive
  • Business Law
    • Contract Review
    • Operating Agreements
    • Company Formation
  • Traffic Law
    • Why Get a Lawyer for a Traffic Ticket?
    • Traffic Help Now
  • Blog

April 5, 2016 By Martha Burkhardt

The Case for Life Insurance

This month I met with a client who had made provisions for his children. Upon my advice we then made contingencies for his grandchildren but not his children-in-law. When one of his kids learned that it understandably left him concerned about his wife if something happened to him. My solution: life insurance.

Life insurance is a regular topic I discuss with my clients for many reasons, but recently it has come up in some very important ways. The first being one of the most obvious and important to me. That is when it is meant to provide for a family after a loved one passes. Nothing can make up to losing a husband or father, but at times something is necessary to make up for the finances they contributed. Especially if whomever is left behind cannot solely take on all of the responsibilities left for the family. Whether breadwinner, caregiver, or both.

For families with some debt it is also an important way to leave assets hassle free. If someone is going to inherit a house or business, debt may be a realistic part of that property. But it also might be a complication to have to refinance a mortgage or try to obtain business financing. For beneficiaries with poor credit it might be extremely expensive or just impossible. Using life insurance to pay these debts can make your gifts much more of a gift and much less of a burden.

For business owners it can also be a way to ensure the business can be transferred to another for the fair value of the business.

Life insurance is also one of the best ways to make the family left behind doesn’t have to pay for a funeral out of their pocket.

There is also the obvious use of life insurance to guarantee a certain amount of money is left as an inheritance. This is extremely important for my clients with blended families. Life insurance is a great way to guarantee a prior born child or a new spouse will not be disinherited.

No matter the reason, life insurance is an extremely important consideration of any estate plan. I would strongly recommend talking to a licensed insurance agent about all of the different products and what would fit your goals the best.

Filed Under: Estate Plan Tagged With: Estate Plan, Inheritance, Insurance

April 1, 2014 By Martha Burkhardt

What Fixing a Ticket Really Means

Getting a ticket fixed is more and more common for many reasons. Most are (rightly) worried about the points from a traffic ticket causing their insurance rates to rise. Also, it’s not always guaranteed you can get a ticked fixed, so I always advise fixing the tickets you can. Anyways, while most people are familiar with getting a ticket fixed, they may not know what the actual process entails, and if they have the time, they may actually be able to resolve it themselves.

First, in Missouri there are two types of tickets, a municipal ticket or a state ticket. It’s easy to tell them apart because the state (an  more expensive) ticket will have “FCC” or Fine Collection Center at the top. The rest, including St. Louis County, are municipal tickets. As an attorney, when I have a client with a ticket, I submit to the court (often times online) an entry of appearance. This tells the court I’m representing the client.

In municipalities, the next step is the recommendation. A recommendation is the offer of a plea, where the original moving violation (points on your driver’s record) is reduced to a non-moving violations (no points) generally for an increased fine. This is where the speeding ticket turns into an improper parking violation. In many areas, prosecuting attorneys automatically offer a recommendation after an entry of appearance is filed. But in some, the attorney must write to the prosecuting attorney asking for the recommendation. With state or FCC tickets, after the attorney enters their appearance, the court then sets a court date. The attorney must then go to court and talk to the prosecutor in order to obtain a recommendation.

For most tickets, this is a fairly routine procedure. However, it’s a process that can take months. I’ve even had a simple speeding ticket that took a year to resolve.

I mentioned that a person can often fix a ticket themselves. Depending on the jurisdiction, a person can go to the court on the court date set on the ticket. The prosecutor will then talk to the person and might reduce the moving violation to a non-moving violation. This might take a few hours depending on the night and court, and there is no guarantee that the prosecutor will accept a lesser violation. Often times, having an attorney fix the ticket takes much less time and (while there are no guarantees) an attorney can also give you a better idea of what to expect.

While fixing a ticket, whether yourself or by an attorney, is more expensive than just paying the original ticket, it’s often times worth it. Most moving violations are 2 points and points start affecting your license when you reach 8 points in 18 months. (The Department of Revenue has a great explanation of the full points system here.) Which really means only a few violations can quickly affect your ability and privilege to drive. There are also times when tickets cannot be fixed or points must be added to your license. While no one plans on this happening, I often advise clients to reduce or avoid points when they are able.

Finally, and probably most practically, points on your license can affect your insurance rates. So while fixing a ticket means there are attorney’s fees and higher fines, it often is more cost effective to fix a ticket than pay the higher insurance rates. Especially for a young driver.

Filed Under: Blog, Traffic Tagged With: Insurance, Recommendation, Ticket, Traffic

Categories

  • Blog
    • Estate Plan
      • Beneficiaries
      • Children
      • Gifting
      • Joint Titling
      • Power of Attorney
      • Trusts
      • Wills
    • Probate
    • Traffic
  • Final Arrangements

Archives

Free Consultation Request

Do you have a question that only a lawyer can answer? Request a free consultation now.

Burkhardt Law Firm

Phone: (314) 518-1581
Email: mburkhardt@burkhardtlaw.com
Address:
2333 Grissom Dr., Suite 107
St. Louis, MO 63146

About Us

  • About Burkhardt Law
  • Who is Martha Burkhardt?
  • Our Mission
  • Client Testimonials
  • What is Different About Burkhardt Law?
  • Contact Us
  • Free Consultation Request
  • Blog

Estate

  • Securing Your Family’s Future
  • Why Estate Planning?
  • Is it Time for a Will?
  • The Impact of a Health Care Directive
  • What is a Trust?
  • Power of Attorney
  • Deeds
  • Estate Planning Consultations

Business

  • Building a Firm Business Foundation
  • Contract Review
  • Operating Agreements
  • Company Formation

Traffic Law Assistance

  • Traffic Law Assistance
  • Why Get a Lawyer for a Traffic Ticket?
  • Traffic Help Now

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Any information on this page should not be taken for legal advice. Use of this website does not create an attorney/client relationship.

Copyright © 2023 · All content owned by Burkhardt Law. Website created and managed by Worry Free Marketing, St. Louis. Sitemap.