Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Personal Health Records Promoted, Pt. II

The U.S. Government and specialized technology vendors are not the only ones interested in creating personal health care records for consumers. Technology giants are too.

As evidenced in yesterday's PA EE&F Law Blog posting "Personal Health Records Promoted, Pt. I", the government's efforts, through the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, to institute uniform health information technology, have been accelerating from beginnings in this decade, until now. For example, see: "HHS Awards Contracts to Develop Nationwide Health Information Network" (11/10/05), and "HHS awards $22.5M in contracts to health info exchanges" (10/20/07).

In 2008, major technology vendors expanded the market, seeking involvement with your personal health records.

On February 18, 2008, Reuters reported "Google unveils personal medical record service":

Google Inc. has unveiled a plan to help U.S. patients gain control of their medical records and is working with doctors' groups, pharmacies and labs to help them securely share sensitive health data. Google said it has signed deals with hospitals and companies including medical tester Quest Diagnostics Inc, health insurer Aetna Inc, Walgreens and Walmart Stores Inc pharmacies.

The password-protected Web service stores health records on Google computers, with a medical services directory that lets users import doctors' records, drug history and test results. Google aims to foster sharing of information between these services, but keep control in patients' hands, allowing them to schedule appointments or refill prescriptions, for example. * * *
Google Health is described on its website, and also in a blog posting "Google Health, a first look" (02/28/08) by Marissa Mayer, who noted:
Google Health aims to solve an urgent need that dovetails with our overall mission of organizing patient information and making it accessible and useful.

Through our health offering, our users will be empowered to collect, store, and manage their own medical records online. * * *
Microsoft Corporation, with its HealthVault service introduced in 2007 and significantly upgraded in 2008, also focuses on personal health records.
Microsoft® HealthVault™ is designed to put you in control of your health information.

A free HealthVault account helps you collect, store and share information with family members and gives you a choice of applications and devices to help manage your fitness, diet and health.
However, according to "Microsoft HealthVault is nothing like Google Health" (02/26/08) by Dana Blankenhorn, posted on ZDNet, "Microsoft HealthVault is a platform for sharing medical data [and] Google Health could, if it chose, become a HealthVault application."

For examples of organizations working with Microsoft on compatible services, see: Press Release, "New Microsoft HealthVault Applications and Devices Unveiled" (06/10/08), which announced "[m]ore than 40 new HealthVault-enabled applications and devices introduced to improve patient-doctor data sharing, fitness, wellness and family health management."

For the past two decades, small software vendors advocated entry of personal health records into your personal computer or personal digital assistant, and offered stand-alone products. See: "Choosing Family Health Records Software".

Such private databases did not present the significant issues arising due to transportable, shared, but private, medical records, as expansively reviewed in "Biomedical Informatics: Social Issues" posted by the University of Arizona:
Biomedical Informatics have evolved through time and have always carried with them social, privacy, and security issues.

The notion of privacy is not a new concept and is the core of the patient-physican relationship. Ethics and biopiracy have become hot topics especially since IT has given users more tools and flexibility to work-around the system.

Other considerations such as costs, affordability, and accessibility to biomedical informatics applications must be examined. Web 2.0 technologies are favoring the use of online communities for support group purposes.

Despite all the advances biomedical informatics are experiencing, consumers and patients are still concerned with the privacy of their biomedical data; those that are most concerned are minorities or patients with terminal illnesses. * * *
Nevertheless, another technological revolution, powered by economics and politics, is underway. I think it likely that, in ten years, the way we access our personal health records will more resemble online banking, than the present papers in a medical chart.

Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, August 12, 2008

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Monday, August 11, 2008

Personal Health Records Promoted, Pt. I

On August 10, 2008, The Hill posted an article entitled "Medicare expands online health records programs" by Jeffrey Young, who reported that "[t]he Bush administration is not waiting on Congress to pass legislation that increases access to online personal health records."

Beginning in January, the administration will expand access to online records in Arizona and Utah as part of an ongoing effort to encourage greater use of health information technology.

The records will contain up to two years of information from Medicare’s records. Patients will be able to add to their records and share them with physicians, pharmacists and other healthcare providers. * * *
Changing the operation of the Medicare system is crucial to its continued viability. In an article entitled "Making Medicare sustainable" delivered on February 5, 2008, as posted on The Hill as a budgetary message, Mike Leavitt, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, warned:
This week the president’s budget for 2009 was submitted. The Medicare portion of this budget should be viewed as a stark warning. Medicare, on its current course, is 11 years from going broke. * * *

The president’s budget on Medicare warns in a different way. It illuminates with specificity the hard decision policymakers — no matter their party — will face every year until we change the current system. * * *

But to keep our national commitment to seniors, we must do more to change how Medicare is managed. * * *
Implementation of an electronic medical records system was identified by Secretary Leavitt as one of the "cornerstones" of a competitive, efficient, reconfigured Medicare system.

Consistent with the movement by HHS to encourage use of electronic medical records, on October 30, 2007, WebMD Health News had reported, in "Doctors Urged to Get Electronic Records" by Todd Zwillich, that Medicare would offer incentives to persuade doctors to use electronic medical record systems.
Federal officials said Wednesday they would soon launch a program aimed at convincing reluctant doctors to buy electronic medical records systems for their offices.

Officials gave few details of the plan, saying it would not get going until late winter or early spring. But it will involve doctors getting cash bonuses from Medicare for buying electronic health records systems and then reporting quality improvements to the government. * * *

Many doctors are also reluctant to buy systems before industry and government groups have settled on a single standard for how the programs operate and communicate with each other. * * *
This incentive program was introduced in June, 2008. See: "Bush Plan Offers Bonuses to Medicare Doctors Who Use Electronic Records" (06/10/08) by Alex Wayne, posted on CQ Today.

One of the twelve regions included in the new program is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I wonder, will this region have special input into the Commonwealth's investigation into electronic medical records, as recently implemented by Governor Rendell in an Executive Order? See: EE&F Law Blog posting "PA Governor Plans Electronic Health Info Exchange" (04/21/08).

Still, author Todd Zwillich again noted on WebMD Health News, in "A Slow Switch to Electronic Health Records", that "only 4% of U.S. doctors use fully functional electronic systems."
Less than one in 20 American doctors is using fully functional electronic health records and e-prescribing systems in their offices. And researchers say that figure shows that the switch to the new technology is moving too slowly.

Many experts say that computerized health records reduce medical errors and improve doctors' ability to communicate with patients and keep up with their care.

Government agencies for years have been pushing physicians and hospitals to adopt the systems but have met resistance, especially from small and medium-sized medical practices. * * *

In its newest, state-centered, pilot programs, HHS goes beyond such private incentive programs, to advance a vision of electronically created, stored, accessed, and linked personal medical records.

In "Medicare to launch personal health record pilot in Arizona and Utah" (08/11/08), posted on Healthcare IT News, Bernie Monegain reported that the most recent initiative announced for Arizona and Utah by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, of the HHS, "is aimed at providing patients with better care while also reducing costs."

It follows a similar initiative begun in April, 2008, in South Carolina, as announced in the article "CMS launches PHR pilot for Medicare beneficiaries" (05/07/08) by Richard Pizzi, posted by Healthcare IT News.

These CMS pilot projects encourage "traditional Medicare beneficiaries to use an online Personal Health Record [PHR] to track their healthcare services and better communicate with their providers."

The [first] CMS pilot -- which will take place in South Carolina -- gives Medicare beneficiaries the ability to collect and access information about their health or healthcare services, such as medical conditions, hospitalizations, doctor visits and medications.

CMS claims that strict privacy and security safeguards will protect all beneficiary data, and affirmed that the PHRs would be under the control of patients. * * *

In those pilot program states, beneficiaries can select one of the participating personal health record vendors, and then add additional personal health information to the claims data. For example, they may be able to authorize:

  • Online links their personal electronic information, such as pharmacy data.
  • Online tools that help consumers manage their health, such as wellness programs for tracking diet and exercise, medical devices, health education information and applications to detect potential medication interactions.
  • Access by family members to their PHR data.
  • Access by other healthcare providers to their PHR data.
Tomorrow, in Part II of this posting, I will review the efforts of technology giants with household names that have ventured separately into an expanded personal health record industry.

Posted by Unknown on Monday, August 11, 2008

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Friday, August 08, 2008

Pennsylvania Lawyers Publish Profusely

On August 7, 2008, Professor Gerry W. Beyer noted in his posting on the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog that "Carmina Y. D'Aversa (estate tax attorney with the International Estate Tax Group of the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C.) has published her book entitled Tax, Estate, and Lifetime Planning for Minors."

His introduction seemed somewhat misleading to me on two minor points, but his recognition of the book remains laudable; and it caused me to think about other Pennsylvania attorney-authors.

First, Carmina Y. D'Aversa edited the book (382 pages), as described on the American Bar Association's bookstore website (as also noted by Gerry within his posting):

Tax, Estate, and Lifetime Planning for Minors brings together the knowledge and insights of fourteen experienced practitioners and law professors, including Jon J. Gallo, Christopher P. Cline, E. Paul Van Horn, Nancy E. Shurtz, Aen Walker Webster, Naomi R. Cahn and Cynthia L. Barrett.
Second, the book was published on January 25, 2007 (copyrighted 2006) -- not recently. The ABA's bookstore website offered a one-page update for the book, as issued through May, 2007, but not since then. The book is also referenced by commercial vendors online, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Best Book Buys, among others.

Those points aside, I am happy that Gerry drew our attention again to this book, one edited by a Pennsylvanian.

Well, perhaps I should say, more accurately, a former Pennsylvanian. Her biography correctly notes that she "served as an elected member of the Council of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section." That is how I met her before she moved to Washington, D.C. around 2002 to join the Internal Revenue Service's central offices.

I communicated with her after she left Pennsylvania, as she was arranging for contributors to the book and writing the section about advanced reproductive technologies (ART).

She thought about ART in Pennsylvania before few others did. Carmina is the person who inspired me to an interest in that cutting-edge topic. I am certain that she would be pleased with our attempts to create a legal framework for advanced reproductive technologies here, now. See: EE&F Law Blog posting JSGC's Final Report on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (06/25/08), and the topic "Reproductive Technology" on this Blog.

Since its publication, the book that she conceived and edited remains unique among legal publications in addressing personal-, estate-, and tax-planning issues from the distinctive viewpoint of a minor, someone under the legal age of majority (18 years old). It is highly-recommended as a resource.

Carmina is not the only lawyer from or in Pennsylvania who has written or edited useful books on estate and trust topics, or elder law practice.
This is only a partial list of attorney-authors and their publications that relate to the subject matter of this Blog.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Pennsylvania lawyers write book-length legal materials issued by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (the legal education arm of the Pennsylvania Bar Association). Pennsylvania lawyers probably write most of the publications issued by George T. Bisel Co., Inc., of Philadelphia, a distinctive, family-owned legal publisher. Pennsylvania lawyers also write textbooks and contribute to legal works published by other prominent national & international publishers.

Pennsylvania is a great place to practice law, partly because such attorney-authors professionally and precisely map this Commonwealth's legal topography.

Posted by Unknown on Friday, August 08, 2008

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Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Caring, Responsible (Wealthy) Children

Can wealthy parents raise caring, responsible (wealthy) children?

Wealthy parents worldwide are interested in the answer, and wonder about the process.

On July 30, 2008, Arabian Business posted an article entitled "Wealthy kids to get lessons in finance" by Soren Billing, who related how "Investment bank Merrill Lynch is to teach children of its wealthiest clients how to make the most of the money they inherit, with a special focus on how to effectively invest in charities."

Every year, children of the company’s richest clients are invited to a one week course where they are taught about topics such as different asset types, discretionary asset management and wealth structuring.

“A priority for our clients is equipping their sons and daughters with the skills and responsibility to manage the wealth they will inherit,” said Amir Sadr, Head of Middle East Wealth Management. * * *

This year’s London programme will include a special day about effective charitable giving. * * *

The programme will also focus on life coaching, developing leadership skills and personal security, giving the participants, aged between 18 and 25 years old, practical advice about how to keep themselves safe when they travel or go online.
Wealthy Arab families are not alone in wishing to inculcate skills, sense, and sensitivity in their children. Recent articles evidence that wealthy Americans pursue the same ends for their offspring.

On May 12, 2008, The Wall Street Journal's "Wealth Report" published an article entitled "10 Things the Wealthy Should Leave Their Kids — Besides Money":
When it comes to understanding the dysfunctions of wealthy families, Peter White is among the wisest.

He’s spent more than 20 years counseling wealthy parents and privileged children about how to better understand the adverse effects of wealth and to search for more meaningful lives.

He’s plied his trade at his own firm, as well as at Citi Private Bank and U.S. Trust. * * *
The article lists and briefly explains Peter A. White's "Ten Elements of Care" by parents towards their children. He recommends parents' attention to:
  1. Necessaries
  2. Affection
  3. Affirmation and Support
  4. Boundaries
  5. Guidance
  6. Respect
  7. Trust
  8. Forgiveness
  9. Religion or Spirituality
  10. Letting Go
The article notes (and the readers' posted comments ratify) a key point:
The list isn’t just for rich parents. But as Peter told me, it’s helpful for wealthy parents to learn that “the first thing to be concerned with is loving children in a way that enables them to take charge of their lives as adults, so they can use wealth to enhance, not diminish, their lives.”
Clearly, there are risks involved where children are raised in wealthy circumstances. An article entitled "Psychological Costs of Material Wealth" (summarized from "The Culture of Affluence Psychological Costs of Material Wealth" by S. Luthar published 2003 in Child Development, Vol. 74, Issue 6, by The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.) suggested that affluent teenagers might be "troubled":
Children in wealthy families are usually thought of as being happy and well-adjusted, but recent research suggests that that they can be quite troubled.

In two studies affluent, suburban teenagers reported higher levels of substance use, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression, than did other children of the same age. Exploration of causes suggested that two factors might be implicated: excessive pressures to achieve, and isolation from parents (both literal and emotional). * * *

Studies also indicate that parents in very wealthy communities can be more emotionally vulnerable than those in the middle classes.

When adults place inordinate emphasis on material success, for example, they tend to compromise attainment of other rewards critical for their psychological well-being, such as close interpersonal relationships. At the community level, too, material affluence can inhibit the formation of supportive networks, as services – such as child- or elder-care -- tend to be bought and not shared with neighbors. * * *
Not surprisingly, advisors, institutes, and organizations seek to address clients' concerns of educating children about money management and social responsibility.

For example, the Gallo Institute professes its two founders' belief that "The Most Important Service Financial Professionals Can Offer Clients Is Helping Them Educate Their Children About Money!"
According to a recent study [conducted by The New Retirement Mindscape, Ameriprise Financial, in conjunction with Harris Interactive, Inc., in January 2006], 61% of affluent parents with financially-dependent adult children rated “advice to help children become more financially savvy” as their top priority. And 52% of adults planning retirement share this concern as well.

Eileen and Jon Gallo have spent more than 20 years helping financial professionals and their clients navigate the complex issues of family wealth. Through their books, seminars and media appearances, the Gallos provide tools to help affluent parents raise financially intelligent children. * * *
The Gallos wrote a book, Silver Spoon Kids, as "a parent's guide to raising financially responsible children in an age of unprecedented wealth."
Drawing upon their experiences as members of the renowned NYU Family Wealth Institute, they tell you how to talk to kids about money, how to teach them to handle it responsibly, and how to instill in your kids a sense of giving to their communities.
Eileen Gallo (a psychotherapist) and Jon Gallo (an estate planning attorney), of Los Angeles, California, were interviewed as the authors of Silver Spoon Kids: How Successful Parents Raise Responsible Children by Aish.com about "money, kids and the sudden discovery of being Jewish" after their book was featured in a Time magazine article.

Similarly, The Inheritance Project (also known as Trio Press) seeks to smash myths that the "possession of wealth brings happiness" and that "[t]hose who inherit (money they did not earn) do not deserve their wealth." That organization offers ten "publications for heirs, wealthy parents, and professional advisors" that address "the many complex issues that surround inheritance."

More recent studies indicate that wealth is a positive factor in families, if properly handled.

On March 26, 2008, a summary entitled "How wealth affects children's cognitive achievement" noted that "a new study published in the March/April 2008 issue of the journal Child Development found that family wealth might partly explain differences in test scores in school-age children."
The study, conducted by researchers at New York University, also found that family wealth is positively associated with parenting behavior, home environment, and children's self-esteem.
In Pennsylvania, on February 12, 2007, PNC Bank issued a Press Release about its commissioned study, released as "Growing Up Wealthy", that found "affluent teens don't fit tabloid stereotype."
PNC Wealth Management's "Growing Up Wealthy" study depicts an affluent youth culture that is privileged yet more responsible, hard working and ambitious than the perception fueled by the antics of young celebrity socialites.
On the PNC Bank website, "Growing Up Wealthy" resources are offered: a Press Release, Survey Highlights, a PowerPoint presentation, and various "sound bytes" by Bruce Bickel, Managing Director of PNC's Private Foundation Management Services.

Another resource for bringing awareness to a child about personal and social responsibility in the setting of an anticipated inheritance is the Fox Studios movie, released in February, 2007 -- The Ultimate Gift. Its website offers discussion materials. For additional background and links, see PA EE&F Law Blog posting "The Ultimate Gift" Movie (03/12/07).

Finally, parents might wish to consider another resource: a game.

On March 12, 2008 the Wall Street Journal published an article entitled "Games Can Help Rich Kids Value Money" by Josee Rose, who described "a board game, a stock-market contest and donating $1,000 to charity" as "techniques financial advisers are using to help wealthy parents introduce concepts of financial and social responsibility to children of wealth."
Wealthy families frequently worry that, as money trickles down through the generations, its value is lost. The first and second generation sacrificed to accumulate their wealth, and they tend to pamper the next generation, says Glenn Kautt, president of the Monitor Group, a wealth management firm in McLean, Va. "That generation is the one that has the sense of entitlement."

Financial advisers find that sometimes the easiest way to raise the topic of the responsibilities of wealth is by playing a game.

GenSpring Family Offices LLC, which serves 600 families whose collective worth exceeds $15 billion, created a board game called "Shirtsleeves to Shirtsleeves," meant to open a discussion on family-wealth issues.

The name is based on the old proverb, "Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations," and the game, which feels in some ways like the game Monopoly, asks the question, "How long will your money last?" * * *
The game addresses a "curse" that may be real: Marilyn Gardner described the "Midas Curse" in "The curse of vanishing wealth" originally published by The Christian Science Monitor, then posted by MSN Money:
"Almost everybody knows a family or has seen a case where the money hurt somebody in the family, or the kids or grandchildren blew it all," says [Rodney] Zeeb, an attorney and coauthor (with Perry L. Cochell) of "Beating the Midas Curse" [Heritage Institute Press, 2005,] a reference to the destructive relationships with money that splinter some families.

So widespread is the problem, that six out of 10 affluent families will lose the family fortune by the end of the second generation, Zeeb says. And nine out of 10 will have depleted the family wealth by the end of the third generation.

It's a modern-day drama summed up in an ancient Chinese adage: "Wealth never survives three generations."

Nineteenth-century Americans updated it to read, "From shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations." * * *
See also: "7 ways to raise kids who can hold onto money", by Terry Savage, posted on MSN Money, who advises: "Strengthen your child's grasp of financial matters by starting early, keeping lessons simple and setting an example."

That game, "Shirtsleeves to Shirtsleeves", was featured in an audio article entitled "The game of wealth management" broadcast June 25, 2008, on National Public Radio's "Marketplace." You can listen to the show to determine if you (or your children) might prefer it to Monopoly.

[Graphic Source: Educational Week, here]

Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, August 06, 2008

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Monday, August 04, 2008

More FET Reform Proposals

In mid-July, 2008, two more bills were introduced into Congress proposing to reform the federal estate, gift, & generation-skipping transfer tax system.

  • House Bill 6499 was introduced on July 15, 2008, in the House by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA).
  • Senate Bill 3284 was introduced on July 17, 2008, in the Senate by Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and George Voinovich (R-OH).
The two bills were described in an article originally posted by the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting, as reposted on the North Carolina Estate Planning Blog, under the heading "Two Federal Estate Tax Bills Introduced" (07/25/08). See also: "Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Fix Estate Tax at 2009 Level" (08/01/08) posted by Elder Law Answers.

House Bill 6499 is described as "The Sensible Estate Tax Act of 2008" that would "reform the estate and gift tax." However, the sponsor's own Congressional website does not carry a press release about it, and does not even list federal estate tax as a key political issue. There was almost no mention in the media as to the introduction of this bill in the House.

Senate Bill 3284, on the other hand, was explained and promoted by its sponsors in a Press Release issued July 17, 2008, entitled "Sens. Carper & Voinovich Introduce Bill to Fix Estate Tax" describing the bipartisan legislation as "More Fair to Taxpayers and More Fiscally Responsible."

The legislation introduced today would freeze the estate tax at its projected 2009 levels so any estate valued at more than $3.5 million per individual or $7 million per couple will be taxed at a 45 percent rate. That level will remain constant, while being adjusted upward with inflation.

In recent years, several legislators have introduced bills that would permanently repeal the estate tax. However, these proposals have been rejected by many senators, including Sens. Carper and Voinovich, who have said a complete repeal of the federal estate tax is too expensive given our severe budget deficit. Instead, Sens. Carper and Voinovich have urged leaders to find a middle-ground on the issue.

“I believe our bipartisan approach to fixing the estate tax problem is a fair way of handling the issue and would cost roughly three-fifths as much as legislation making the repeal permanent,” Sen. Carper said. “Rather than giving up on finding a solution to the estate tax dilemma, I hope other senators will see our proposal as an acceptable middle ground.”

Under the Carper-Voinovich legislation, only two estates out of every 1,000 would be subject to the estate tax. That amounts to just 11,000 estates by 2012, compared to a much larger 50,000 estates that were being taxed back in 2001 when the tax started being phased out. * * *

On The Estate Planner's Listserv, operated by the American Bar Association, reactions to these newest bills were cautious, and, in some cases, dismissive, because of the "rough draft" format of the bills, the highly political nature of the issues, the unknown fiscal impact of such tax reform, and the uncertain constituency of a new Congress to convene in January, 2009.

These bills offer more of a framework with points for discussion than a definitive plan with details; and thereby add to the ongoing discussion. For background about that debate, see EE&F Law Blog postings:
Most commentators agree, however: 2009 will be the year of federal estate tax reform.

Posted by Unknown on Monday, August 04, 2008

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Friday, August 01, 2008

Websites on Estate & Financial Planning

Forbes magazine offered a "Best of the Web Directory" in 2005 that included a section on "Estate Planning" websites; and those listings remain useful for consumers seeking orientation on basic estate and financial planning concepts.

The listings by Forbes were comprehensive as to consumer topics:

[Y]ou can find more than 3,000 sites reviewed by Forbes.com Best of The Web, each selected according to five criteria: Content, Design, Speed, Navigation and Customization.
In prefacing the "Estate Planning" list of websites, Forbes representative Leigh Gallagher explained why consumers might benefit from reviewing them:
It's never too early to start planning for your legacy. But if you haven't started yet, the Web offers more resources than ever to learn the basics and to keep up with ever changing estate planning laws.

We all have to go someday -- but being prepared can make a world of difference for those you leave behind.
These are the estate planning websites recommended by Forbes:
Another Forbes representative, Nikhil Hutheesing, produced a separate, slightly longer, distinct list of websites on the related topic of "Financial Planning" described as follows:

There is a giant bulge of Boomers now beginning to realize that they are closer to retirement age than they would like to be.

Many are turning to financial planners, but the first thing these Web savvy workaholics typically do is see if they can help themselves by going online.

The sites below all cater to self-directed investors wanting to take control of their financial health. Some of the sites also offer referrals to advisers or have made their best services available only through advisers.

There are a few holdouts that provide a wide range of tools and assessment -- for a fee in most cases -- but most financial planning sites just provide articles, conveniences like bill payment programs, and simple calculators.

That list of fifteen websites providing information about financial planning can be found here.

Both these topical listings were cataloged under a broader heading of "Personal Finance & Careers" that contained other interesting topics, such as 401(k) Advice, Financial Calculators, Legal Advice, Life Insurance, Mortgages, and Tax Planning. And then there was my favorite: Time Management.

Keeping in mind the passage of time since the selections, and the self-interest or promotional messages interwoven by some of the vendors into their posted materials, nevertheless the vendor and association websites selected by Forbes still offer considerable resources for consumers today.

Posted by Unknown on Friday, August 01, 2008

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