Andrew M. Ayers, P.C.

I founded Andrew M. Ayers, P.C. to offer clear, customized legal guidance for families and small business owners who want to protect their legacy without navigating confusing court systems or legal jargon.

My practice focuses on:

* Estate Planning – Wills, trusts, healthcare directives, and probate guidance
* Business Law – Formation, contracts, compliance, and dispute resolution

From launching startups to preparing estate plans for growing families, I help clients make smart legal decisions with confidence and peace of mind.

About the Firm:
Founded in Brooklyn in 2011, my firm now operates in both Minnesota and New York, with services offered nationwide. Clients can meet virtually or in person at my Edina or Manhattan offices.

Founder | Estate Planning & Business Law Attorney

Solo Practitioner

Senior Associate Attorney

Law Office of Joseph Martin Carasso

Law Clerk

Slavin & Slavin

Small Business Law & Estate Planning Attorney ~ I Help People and Businesses Protect their Legacies through Planning

I help families and small business owners protect their legacy and avoid costly legal pitfalls with clear, customized estate planning and business law solutions.

Many of my clients feel overwhelmed at the thought of “getting their affairs in order.” The legal jargon, the complexity, the time commitment; it all feels intimidating. I get it. That’s why I focus on making legal planning simple, efficient, and tailored to your real needs, not a stack of unnecessary documents you don’t understand.

Whether you're looking to create your first will, update your estate plan, or ensure your business is legally secure, I work with you at your pace to develop a plan that works for your life, not the law firm's billable hours.

One client put it this way:

“Andrew is a fantastic attorney. He was empathetic, deliberate, and professional—always quick to respond and extremely knowledgeable. He helped us navigate a stressful situation with clarity and confidence.”

I founded my firm to bring a more personal, transparent approach to legal services. No pressure. No sales pitch. Just smart, practical advice that protects what matters most to you—your family, your business, and your future.

Ready to take the next step? Schedule a Legal Strategy Session or download free planning tools at www.AndrewMAyers.com.

Andrew Ayers

I Reviewed 23 Estate Plans Last Year. Here's the $50 Fix That Would've Saved 19 of Them

Beneficiary designation forms. That's it. The free checkbox at your bank that overrides your $5,000 will.

Twenty-three families discovered their loved one's perfect estate plan meant nothing. The 401(k) still went to the ex-spouse from 2009. The life insurance paid out to the deceased mother. The IRA defaulted to "estate" and triggered a tax nightmare.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵?)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆 (𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆):

1. The Form Always Wins
Your will says "everything to my spouse"? Irrelevant. The beneficiary form controls. Period.

2. No Form = Probate Nightmare
Blank beneficiary line? Welcome to 18 months of court proceedings. Plus estate taxes in some states. Plus family fights.

3. "Estate" = Tax Disaster
Naming your estate as beneficiary? You just turned tax-deferred into immediately taxable. Congratulations.

4. Minors Can't Inherit Directly
Named your 8-year-old? The court appoints a guardian. Maybe your ex. Maybe someone worse.

5. Contingent Beneficiaries Matter
Primary beneficiary dies first? Without a backup, you're likely headed to probate.

The accounts that bypass your will entirely:
• 401(k)s and 403(b)s
• IRAs (Traditional and Roth)
• Life insurance policies
• Annuities
• Pension plans
• Bank accounts with POD/TOD
• Investment accounts with TOD

That's probably 80% of your wealth. Controlled by forms you filled out years ago. Or never filled out at all.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝘅:

1. List Every Account (15 minutes)
Retirement. Insurance. Bank. Investment. If it has your name on it, list it.

2. Call for Current Beneficiaries (30 minutes)
Don't guess. Don't assume. Call and confirm. Get it in writing.

3. Update Everything Today (5 minutes per account)
Online for most accounts. One form for others. Do it now, not "soon."

4. Add Contingent Beneficiaries
Primary and backup. Always. No exceptions.

5. Review Annually
Set a calendar reminder. Same day each year.

The most expensive estate planning mistake isn't hiring the wrong lawyer.

It's paying thousands for documents that don't control anything.

Because your will is just a suggestion if your beneficiary forms disagree.

And that checkbox at your bank? It's more powerful than any trust I can draft.

Fix your beneficiaries. Today.

Your family's financial future depends on a form you probably forgot exists.

li_at

JSESSIONID

Talks about #businesslaw, #llcformation, #estateplanning, #willsandtrusts, and #businesslawsuits

Trusted Advisor for Estate Planning & Small Business Law | Legal Protection for Families, Founders & Futures

I Asked Millennials About Their Parents' Estates. Most Had No Idea What They'd Inherit.

Not the amounts. Not even what accounts existed. They knew their parents had "something" but couldn't name a single bank. Couldn't find the will. Didn't know if there was life insurance.

Meanwhile, their parents think they've handled everything because they did a will in 2003.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 "𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦" – 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵?)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆'𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴:

• Where the Documents Live
Not "somewhere safe." The actual location. Which drawer. Which file. Which password manager. Which lawyer has copies.

• What Accounts Exist
Every bank. Every investment. Every insurance policy. With account numbers. With contact information. Updated annually.

• Who Gets Contacted
Your estate attorney. Your CPA. Your financial advisor. HR for benefits. That old 401(k) from three jobs ago.

• Digital Access Reality
Password manager emergency access. Two-factor authentication backups. Crypto wallet recovery phrases. Email account access.

• The Unofficial Stuff
Safe deposit box location and key. Storage unit details. That cash in the freezer. The valuable collection in the garage.

Parents think they're protecting their kids by keeping finances private. Kids think they're respecting boundaries by not asking.

Both are wrong.

Your millennial kids manage their entire financial life on their phones. They Venmo rent. They buy stocks on apps. They've never written a check.

But when you die, they'll need to navigate 1970s-era bank bureaucracy with 2024 digital habits.

Without a roadmap.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀:

1. 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 "𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸" 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘦
One document. Every account. Every contact. Every password location. Share it with someone who needs it. Update it every tax season.

2. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘬
Not the amounts if you're uncomfortable. But the existence. The locations. The contacts. Your kids should know your banker's name.

3. 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭
Walk someone through accessing one account. Show them where documents live. Make sure they can actually find what they'd need.

Those millennials who knew nothing? Their parents aren't bad people. They're just following outdated privacy rules from a pre-digital world.

But your estate plan isn't just documents in a lawyer's office.

It's making sure the people you leave behind can actually access what you've left them.

Without a forensic accountant. Without a court order. Without a year of searching.

The most expensive estate plan isn't the one without proper documents.

It's the one nobody can find.

The $47 Costco Document That Saved a Widow's House

Her husband died on a Tuesday. By Friday, the mortgage company was calling. 90-day foreclosure notice arrived the following week. She had $1,200 in checking. The house payment was $3,400.

But tucked in their Costco folder – between the tire rotation receipts and the Executive Membership renewal – was a forgotten legal services benefit. The one that came with their membership upgrade three years earlier.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺.)

When she upgraded to Executive Membership for the 2% cash back on bulk paper towels, the Costco rep mentioned their partnership with a major insurance carrier. "Basic term life included. Just fill this out."

$500,000 coverage. No medical exam for amounts under that threshold. Premium paid through the membership fee. Her husband checked the boxes, signed his name, forgot about it.

Three years later, that forgettable form became everything.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗰𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 (𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱):

• Executive Members get access to term life insurance
• No medical exam for many coverage levels
• Rates locked for the term length
• Portable if you leave Costco
• Covers mortgage protection scenarios

The widow called the number on the yellowed form. Claim approved in 12 days. House saved. Kids stayed in their school. Life continued, imperfectly but intact.

The Hidden Documents That Actually Matter:

✓ That employer life insurance election (usually 1-2x salary free)
✓ Credit card coverage you didn't know existed
✓ Mortgage protection riders buried in paperwork
✓ Union or association benefits gathering dust
✓ Wholesale club financial services

Your estate plan tells the court who gets what.

These forgotten documents determine if there's anything left to get.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁:

1. 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱
Costco, Sam's, AAA, AARP, alumni associations. Call them. Ask what's included. You'll be shocked.

2. 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵
Not just health insurance. Life, disability, legal services, identity protection. 

3. 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 "𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘋𝘪𝘦" 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳
One place. Every policy. Every benefit. Every phone number. Update it annually. Tell someone it exists.

The most expensive life insurance isn't the premium you pay.

It's the coverage you didn't know you already had.

Check your Costco folder. Today.

Your family's future might be sitting between the receipt for 48 rolls of toilet paper and last year's photo center order.

Because sometimes the most powerful legal document isn't from a lawyer.

It's from the place where you buy rotisserie chicken in bulk.

The 7 Estate Planning Conversations Your Lawyer Won't Start (But You Should)

Your estate attorney prepared the perfect will. Bulletproof trust. Airtight power of attorney. Then your family discovered the $400K in crypto you never mentioned and the business partner who still had signing authority on your accounts (you can scroll through past posts to see how that turned out...).

The documents were flawless. The conversations never happened.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟳 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

1. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘵
"Do you have cryptocurrency?" isn't enough. What about NFTs? Domain names worth thousands? That Instagram account generating $5K monthly? Your Venmo balance? The password manager controlling everything?

2. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘋𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴
Your son's addiction. Your daughter's spending problems. The child who's terrible with money. The one who married someone you don't trust. Standard equal distribution might destroy what you built.

3. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦
Who actually runs the company if you can't? Not who inherits it – who operates it Monday morning? Your family might own it but can they access the bank accounts? Sign payroll? Keep the lights on?

4. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬
Banks don't care about your perfect trust. They want their forms. Their process. Their timeline. Has your attorney called your bank to confirm what they actually require? (Spoiler: They haven't.)

5. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘱
"10% to charity" sounds noble. But which charity? What if it doesn't exist anymore? What if it's been corrupted? What about the tax implications your heirs will face? Generic charitable provisions create litigation, not legacy.

6. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴
Beyond "pull the plug or not." What about dementia care? Experimental treatments? Moving to assisted living? Who decides when you can't drive anymore? Your healthcare directive probably covers 20% of what actually happens.

7. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘴
The house gets split per the will. But Mom's wedding ring? Dad's watch collection? The family photos? That painting everyone wants? More families explode over personal items than over millions in cash.

They're messy. Emotional. Time-consuming.

But documents without these discussions are just expensive paper.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁:

• Bring your uncomfortable truths, not just your asset list
• Ask about scenarios, not just documents
• Demand specific solutions, not generic templates
• Update after major life changes, not just every decade

The most expensive estate plan isn't the one with the most documents.

It's the one missing the conversations that mattered.

Because your family doesn't need perfect paperwork.

They need clear answers to the questions your never asked.

The 5 Apps on Your Phone That Could Lock Your Family Out of $100K+

Last month, I watched a widow discover her husband's Robinhood account had $127,000 she couldn't touch. The password? Died with him. Two-factor authentication? His dead phone number. Recovery email? A Gmail account no one could access.

She could see the balance through old screenshots. But seeing and accessing are different games entirely.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 (𝗢𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀):

1. 𝘊𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 (𝘊𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘬, 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵)
2. 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘴 (𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘌*𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘌, 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥)
3. 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 (𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴, 1𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯)
4. 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 (𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘦, 𝘗𝘢𝘺𝘗𝘢𝘭, 𝘚𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦)
5. 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘢𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘴 (𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘮𝘰, 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘈𝘱𝘱, 𝘗𝘢𝘺𝘗𝘢𝘭)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆:

-> Create a Digital Asset Inventory
Every app. Every account. Every wallet. List them all with current values. Update quarterly.

-> Set Up Emergency Access
Password managers offer emergency access features. Your spouse waits 48 hours, then gets in. No death certificate needed.

-> Document Recovery Methods
Write down security questions. Save backup codes. Store seed phrases in a fireproof safe. Not on your phone. Not in the cloud.

-> Add Authorized Users Where Possible
Some investment apps allow authorized users. Add them now, while you're alive and can prove identity.

-> Create Transfer Instructions
Not passwords in your will (public record). But a sealed letter with your attorney explaining HOW to access the password manager.

Want to really take it to the next level? I suggest reaching out to folks at Legacy Vault (Jon Braddock) or Digital Life Box (Charles Lambert) to see their tools that can help you manage your digital assets.

Your phone isn't just a communication device anymore.

It's a bank. A vault. A business. A fortune.

And right now, it's probably protected by a six-digit code that dies with you.

The most expensive app on your phone isn't the one that costs $9.99 monthly.

It's the one holding $100K that your family can see but can't touch.

Because digital assets don't care about death certificates.

They care about passwords.

Fix it today. While you still can.

Empowering Estate Planning Attorneys & Advisors for Client Success, Referral Growth, and Sustainable Revenue

CEO at DigitalLIFEBox

My Estate Planning Checklist for the Venmo Generation (Yes, That Means You)

She sent her roommate $1,200 for rent. He Venmo'd his buddy $500 for fantasy football losses. They split dinner tabs with CashApp and collected wedding gifts through Zelle.

Then she died in a car accident at 29.

Her parents spent six months trying to access her accounts. The money sitting in payment apps? Gone. The passwords to her investment accounts? Buried in her iPhone. The beneficiary on her 401(k)? Her ex-boyfriend from college.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. "𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨." 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘮𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯.)

After watching millennials navigate estate disasters they never saw coming, I created this checklist. Not the stuffy trust-fund version. The real one for people who think NFTs are retirement planning.

The Digital Money Trail:
✓ List every payment app (yes, even that Venmo with $3.47)
✓ Document crypto wallets and exchanges
✓ Screenshot QR codes for 2FA backup
✓ Create a "digital death file" someone can actually access

The Beneficiary Reality Check:
✓ 401(k) - Not defaulted to "estate"
✓ IRA - Updated since that breakup
✓ Life insurance through work - Someone actually knows it exists
✓ Bank accounts - Add payable-on-death designation

The Password Problem:
✓ Password manager with emergency access
✓ Not just written on a Post-it in your desk
✓ Include investment accounts, not just Netflix
✓ Update it more than once a decade

The Actual Legal Stuff:
✓ Will (even a basic one beats nothing)
✓ Healthcare directive (who decides if you can't)
✓ Financial power of attorney (bills don't pause for tragedy)
✓ HIPAA releases (so someone can talk to doctors)

The Uncomfortable Conversations:
✓ Tell someone where these documents live
✓ Share your digital asset plan
✓ Name guardians if you have kids
✓ Discuss your wishes, not just your passwords

That 29-year-old? Her parents eventually recovered about 40% of her digital assets. The rest disappeared into the internet void. Customer service reps hiding behind "privacy policies" while her savings sat untouchable.

Your estate plan doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to exist.

Because the most expensive estate plan isn't the comprehensive one that costs a few thousand.

It's the one you keep putting off because you're "too young to worry about it."

Your digital life deserves analog protection.

Start with one thing today. Even if it's just updating that 401(k) beneficiary.

Your future (or your family's) will thank you.

Derek J. Gruber, CIC Talked About Insurance Stewardship Today. 

Derek used a word I haven't heard from an insurance person before: Stewardship.

Not "coverage." Not "protection." Stewardship. Like he's actually responsible for what happens to us.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.)

Here's what Derek really taught us without meaning to:

Insurance isn't about the cheapest premium. It's about having someone who knows your business well enough to spot the gaps before they become problems. Most businesses' big red flag??? CYBER INSURANCE

Just like estate planning isn't about having documents. It's about having the RIGHT coverage that actually protects you.

If you're in the Twin Cities area and are interested in learning more about our group, shoot me (or Tony Rubin) a DM and we can chat.

Partner | Risk Consultant | Simplifying Insurance & Risk for Business Owners | Coalition 9 Member

Financial Advisor at Rudin & Rubin Financial Group of Wells Fargo Advisors

The Secret Estate Planning Checklist Banks Use (That Nobody Told You About)

Your estate lawyer prepares documents for probate court, but banks have their own internal "court" - their compliance department. And they play by different rules.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 (𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻):

1. 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 - 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺?
Banks want originals. Each account. Each institution. I tell clients: Order 15. Yes, it costs more. Know what costs more? Waiting 8 weeks for additional copies while accounts sit frozen.

2. 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘦
Proves where the deceased lived. Banks use it for tax withholding. Your will doesn't cover this. The bank often won't release funds without it.

3. 𝘛𝘐𝘕 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘮 (𝘞-9 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦)
The estate needs its own tax ID. But banks want the form proving it. Not just the number. The actual IRS form. Miss this? Accounts stay locked.

4. 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘌𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵 (𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘌𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴)
Some accounts bypass probate with this form. But only if it's perfect. One wrong checkbox? Rejected. Start over. Another month lost.

5. 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘬-𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴
Each bank has proprietary forms. Chase wants theirs. Wells Fargo wants different ones. Your perfect will means nothing until their legal department checks their boxes.

What Actually Unlocks Accounts:

* Pre-death preparation with each institution
* Beneficiary designations (bypass everything)
* Joint ownership structures
* Transfer-on-death provisions
* Bank-specific estate planning addenda

Your will tells the court who gets what.

Bank forms determine when they get it.

Or if they get it at all.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸-𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻:

1. 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘕𝘖𝘞
Call each bank. Ask for their estate settlement requirements. Get the forms. Before you need them.

2. 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬
Whatever number seems right, double it. Triple it for complex estates. $20 per certificate beats 2-month delays.

3. 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘬-𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘮
One document listing every account, every institution, every form needed. With contact numbers. Update it annually.

The most expensive estate plan isn't the one that costs the most to create.

It's the one that looks perfect on paper but fails at the bank window.

Because your family doesn't need a perfect will.

They need access to accounts. Today. Not after six months of bureaucratic nightmare.

Because the secret isn't having the right lawyer.

It's knowing what the banks won't tell you until it's too late.

I Asked My Estate Planning Attorney Friends: What's the Weirdest Digital Asset Dispute You've Seen?

The winner involved a $23,000 World of Warcraft account and a grieving widow who thought her husband played "some computer game."

I was running low on stories for LinkedIn, so I reached out to estate planning attorneys I knew to find some stories for this post. Asked them one question. The stories they told made my $50K Venmo dispute look like child's play.

The Top 5 Digital Nightmares:

1. The Bitcoin Wallet on a Dead iPhone
$890K in crypto. Password died with the owner. Wife tried 9 times. One attempt left before permanent lockout. Still sitting in a safe deposit box. Untouchable.

2. The Instagram Influencer's Account War
420K followers. $30K monthly income. Three siblings fighting over who gets to post memorial content. Meanwhile, sponsors pulling out, followers dropping. Account dead within 60 days.

3. The OnlyFans Battle
$1.2M annual revenue. Content still generating income. Widow wanted it deleted. 

4. The Gmail Account That Controlled Everything
Entrepreneur ran six businesses through one Gmail. No password manager. No recovery options. Google wouldn't grant access without a death certificate AND pre-death authorization. Businesses collapsed in 90 days.

5. The NFT Collection Nobody Understood
"Bunch of monkey pictures" worth $3.4M. Family sold the laptop for $500 at an estate sale. 

What These Horror Stories Taught Me:

Digital assets aren't just Facebook photos anymore. They're businesses. Investments. Income streams. Legacies.

But here's the kicker: Your will probably doesn't cover them.

Standard estate documents written for physical property. Bank accounts. Real estate. Not for wallets protected by 24-word seed phrases or accounts requiring two-factor authentication from a dead person's phone.

The Digital Asset Protection Checklist:

• Password Manager with Emergency Access
Set up a digital vault. Grant emergency access to someone you trust. Update it monthly.

• Inventory Your Digital Life
Crypto wallets. Investment apps. Online businesses. Gaming accounts. Domain names. List them all.

• Update Your Estate Documents
Add digital asset provisions. Name a digital executor. Include access instructions (but not passwords).

• Document the Value
That gaming account might be worth more than your car. That Instagram following could be a business. Document it.

• Create Access Instructions
Not passwords in your will (public record). But instructions on HOW to access your password manager.

Your digital life isn't just emails and photos anymore.

It's your wealth. Your business. Your legacy.

And unlike your house, it can vanish with one wrong password attempt.

The most expensive digital asset isn't the Bitcoin you forgot to mention.

It's the fortune your family can see but can't touch.

Because you never told them how.

The Venmo Divorce That Cost a CEO Everything (And Why I Don't Miss Practicing Family Law)

An old family law friend of mine saw my recent posts about Venmo transactions and shared this one with me:

Venmo transactions labeled "golf lessons." Each one timestamped. Each one traceable. Each one a lie.

The CEO thought he was clever. His wife's divorce attorney thought otherwise.

She pulled six months of Venmo history. Cross-referenced the timestamps with his calendar. Those Tuesday afternoon "golf lessons"? They happened during board meetings in Chicago. During client dinners in Dallas. During the family vacation in Aspen when he "stepped out for a call."

$31,000 in "golf lessons" to the same recipient. A 29-year-old marketing coordinator from his firm.

The metadata told the whole story: 

𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: Minneapolis.
𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺: "Phoenix - Quarterly Review."
𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦: 2:47 PM.
𝘍𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴: Hadn't left MSP yet.

His attorney called it "unfortunate timing discrepancies."

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹:

* Every transaction has a digital fingerprint
* Timestamps don't lie (even when you do)
* Location data survives deletion
* Public feeds become evidence
* Emoji choices matter (yes, really)
* Payment patterns tell stories

The CEO lost more than money. The court found dissipation of marital assets. Hidden accounts. Financial misconduct. His mansion? Gone. The cabin up north? Hers. Alimony? Maximum allowable.

The affair shouldn't have mattered financially.

Except when you lie about it. Under oath. With digital receipts proving otherwise.

The New Reality of Digital Evidence:

* Your Venmo is a financial diary
* Apple Pay tracks your every move
* Zelle leaves breadcrumbs
* PayPal keeps records for years
* Cash App screenshots live forever

Twenty years ago, affairs required private investigators. Hidden cameras. Following cars. Now? Your spouse's attorney just needs your phone number and a subpoena.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 (𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝘁):

1. 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤
Even "private" transactions. Even deleted ones. If it went through a server, it exists somewhere.

2. 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘭 𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺
"Dinner" not "golf lessons." "Reimbursement" not "consulting." Lies in writing become evidence.

3. 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦
Different apps for different relationships. Your marriage counselor will thank you. Your divorce attorney definitely will.

That CEO? He's living in a one-bedroom apartment now. Still paying for those "golf lessons" ~ just in a very different way.

The most expensive Venmo transaction isn't the one you send.

It's the one that sends you to court.

Business Owners Think They Need Complex Trusts. Meanwhile, They Haven't Even Updated Their LLC's Banking Resolution.

Sat with a prospective client earlier this week who spent $12,000 on an offshore asset protection trust. Smart guy. Runs three successful companies.

His LLC still lists his ex-business partner as a bank signatory.

The partner who left two years ago. Who could empty the $280,000 operating account with one wire transfer. Legally.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 "𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘥" – 𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘦. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵.)

This happens constantly. Business owners drop five figures on sophisticated structures while their basic documents are tissue paper.

The Banking Resolution Disasters I See Weekly:

* Dead partners still authorized
* Divorced spouses with full access
* Bookkeepers who quit but kept signing authority
* Kids added "temporarily" three years ago
* That emergency signatory from 2019 you forgot existed

Your LLC's banking resolution can be more powerful than your operating agreement. More enforceable than your buy-sell. More dangerous than any lawsuit.

Because the bank doesn't care about your internal drama. They care about one thing: whose name is on their form.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟬-𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁:

1. Pull your banking resolutions (all accounts, all banks)
2. Check every authorized signer
3. Verify signing limits match reality
4. Confirm the LLC name matches exactly
5. Update immediately if anything's wrong

That complex trust structure? Worthless if someone can drain your accounts before the protection kicks in.

Your fancy estate plan? Meaningless if your business checking gets emptied by a ghost from 2021.

The most dangerous person to your business isn't your competitor.

It's the person you forgot has access to your money.

Fix your basics before you buy the complex stuff.

Because a fortress with an open back door isn't a fortress.

It's an invitation.

You Know What's Wild? Most Business Owners Spend More Time on LinkedIn than on Their Operating Agreement

I counted yesterday. Over 25 LinkedIn updates in October. Last time I touched my operating agreement? 2017.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺. 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴.)

This spring, a client called in a panic. His business partner of 12 years wanted out. They'd built a $3M consulting firm together. Weathered COVID. Survived the talent shortage.

Then his partner's divorce attorney started asking questions about business valuations.

Their operating agreement? Still had their original $50K valuation from 2012.

No buyout provisions. No updated ownership percentages after they'd brought in two junior partners. No mechanism for handling disputes. Just twelve years of handshake modifications that lived in their heads and nowhere else.

Meanwhile, his LinkedIn profile was pristine. Updated headshot. Fresh testimonials. Perfect keyword optimization. Daily posts about business growth.

But the document that actually governed his business? Gathering digital dust.

The Real Cost of That Outdated Operating Agreement:

• Months of legal battles (and counting)
• $85,000 in attorney fees between them
• Business operations frozen during negotiations
• Two junior partners who quit during the chaos
• Lost clients who got nervous about the instability
• A friendship destroyed by preventable disputes

What Your Operating Agreement Should Actually Reflect:

✓ Current business valuation methods
✓ Clear buyout procedures and triggers
✓ Updated ownership percentages
✓ Decision-making protocols for deadlocks
✓ Succession planning for death/disability
✓ Exit strategies that protect everyone

Here's what kills me: This guy spent two hours crafting the perfect LinkedIn article, but he couldn't spend two hours updating the document that actually protected that partnership.

Your LinkedIn profile shows the world who you are today.

Your operating agreement protects who you'll be tomorrow.

One gets likes. The other saves your business.

I get it. Legal documents are boring. LinkedIn is engaging. One feels like progress. The other feels like homework.

But when your partner's life implodes (divorce, death, disability, or just different dreams), that dusty operating agreement becomes the most important document in your business life.

Update your LinkedIn all you want. But update your operating agreement first.

Your future self will thank you.

Your business depends on it.

The 5-Minute Friday LLC Checkup That Could Save You $75,000

If you've been following along, you know I love a good checklist, especially one that you can implement quickly.

In honor of seeing Back to the Future with my boys, let's take a Delorean trip back to last year, before Thanksgiving, when a client lost $75K because he hadn't checked his LLC maintenance in three years. Personal assets seized. Business protection worthless. But all of it was preventable.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴.)

Your LLC is either protecting you or it's not. There's no middle ground. And most business owners won't know which until it's too late.

Take 5 minutes. Right now. Before you log off for the weekend.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱-𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗟𝗟𝗖 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁:

𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 1: 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴
Pull up your Secretary of State website. Search your LLC. Is it "Active" or "Good Standing"? If it says anything else, you're exposed. Fix it today.

𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 2: 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵
Still using that online service from three years ago? Are they still in business? Did they move? One missed lawsuit notice = default judgment (𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮)

𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 3: 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵
Open your business bank statement. Any personal expenses? Even one Starbucks? That's evidence against your protection. Screenshot it. Fix it Monday.

𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 4: 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬
Pull your last three contracts. Did you sign as "Jane Doe, Manager of ABC LLC" or just "Jane Doe"? Wrong signature can lead to personal liability. Update your email signature now.

𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 5: 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴
When did you last document a meeting? (Yes, even if you're solo.) No minutes in 2024? 2025? Download a template. Date it today. Sign it. Done.

𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻 "𝗗𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗪":
• Haven't filed an annual report this year
• Mixed personal and business expenses even once
• Can't find your operating agreement
• Never documented a meeting
• Using personal email for business contracts

The holidays are coming. You're about to get busy. Family visits. Year-end scrambles. Travel plans (if you dare go to the airport with the current state of air travel).

Lawsuits don't take holidays. Neither do state compliance deadlines.

Your LLC is either a shield or a piece of paper.

Five minutes tells you which.

And if you're reading this at 4:47 on a Friday thinking "I'll do it Monday"...

That's exactly what my client thought. Four years ago.

Check it now. Sleep better this weekend.

Because the most expensive LLC mistake isn't the one you make.

It's the one you ignore.

The LLC Mistake That 73% of Solopreneurs Make (A Black Friday Warning)

Black Friday's coming in a week. You'll drop $500 on deals you don't need. Meanwhile, your LLC is sitting there like a screen door in a hurricane (one of my new favorite analogies).

I reviewed solopreneur LLCs last month for an accelerator program. Many of them had the same fatal flaw. They'd spent more on their logo than on making their LLC actually work.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 #2.)

The killer? No separate business credit card.

"But I track everything in QuickBooks!" they said.
"I reimburse myself properly!" they insisted.
"I keep perfect records!" they promised.

The plaintiff's attorney won't care. Neither will the judge.

One personal charge on your business account. One business expense on your personal card. That's all it takes. Your LLC protection? Hanging on by a thread. Your personal assets? Could be fair game.

I spoke to a freelance designer worried about losing her house over a $15,000 contract dispute. Her LLC was perfect on paper. Delaware formation. Professional operating agreement. Separate EIN.

But she'd used her personal card for Adobe Creative Suite. "It was just easier with the family plan."

That one transaction became Exhibit A in the Plaintiff's veil-piercing argument.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗟𝗟𝗖 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁:

• Business Credit Card (TODAY)
Open one before Black Friday. Every business expense goes here. No exceptions. Not even "just this once."

• Separate Shopping Accounts
Your business Amazon account can't share Prime with your personal one. Yes, it costs more. That's the price of protection.

• Document Everything
That laptop you're buying on sale? Business resolution authorizing the purchase. Sounds excessive until you're in court.

• Payment Method Discipline
Business expenses = business card. Personal stuff = personal card. Mix them even once and you've given ammunition to the other side.

The real tragedy? A business credit card is free. Most give cash back. Some have better rewards than personal cards.

But solopreneurs skip it because "it's just me" or "I'll do it later" or "I'm too small for that."

You're never too small to lose everything.

Black Friday's coming. You'll see 500 ads for things you don't need. But you won't see a single ad for the business credit card that could save your personal assets.

Because Capital One makes money when you spend.

Lawyers make money when you didn't protect yourself.

Your LLC is either a fortress or a house of cards.

The difference? A piece of plastic in your wallet.

Get the card. Skip the deals. Protect what you've built.

What I'm Grateful For This Thanksgiving (Spoiler: It's Not What You Think)

Far too many lawyers still count billable hours. I count the disasters I helped clients avoid.

This year alone? LLCs saved from piercing, estates protected from digital lockout, business owners who discovered their ex-partners could still drain their accounts.

But that's not what I'm grateful for.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴. 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦.)

I'm grateful for the 4:57 p.m. texts on a Friday: "Andrew, I think I messed up my LLC."

The panicked calls: "My business partner just died and I can't access our accounts."

The coffee meetings that start with: "I should've called you sooner."

Because every one of those moments means someone trusts me with their biggest fears.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁:

• Clients who implement the boring stuff I recommend
• Business owners who actually separate their finances
• Families who have the hard estate planning conversations
• The colleague who sends me their overflow (you know who you are)
• My kids, who think "Dad helps people not lose their money" is the coolest job

And LinkedIn? For letting me share these cautionary tales with some of you who actually read them.

Your comments keep me writing. Your questions make me better. Your success stories remind me why I switched from family law.

This Thanksgiving, I'm not just grateful for what went right.

I'm grateful for every disaster that taught me how to help you avoid the next one.

Because the best legal victory isn't winning in court.

It's never needing to be there.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you protecting what you've built.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴...)

Took My Sons to See Back to the Future in Theaters. If Your Estate Plan Predates 1985, We Need to Talk.

Saturday evening. Two boys, ages 10 and 13. Their first time seeing Marty McFly on the big screen.

"Dad, this movie's older than you," my youngest said, doing the math.

Hardly. The film hit theaters in 1985. Reagan was president. A stamp cost 22 cents. And estate planning meant a simple will and maybe a trust if you were fancy.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩.)

Watching Doc Brown scramble to send Marty back to 1985 got me thinking about my clients still using estate documents from that era.

Your 1985 estate plan doesn't account for:

• Digital assets (Bitcoin wasn't even a dream)
• Online banking (what's a passbook?)
• Social media accounts worth thousands
• Cloud storage with your entire life
• Remote work and multi-state issues
• HIPAA privacy laws (didn't exist until 1996)
• The Secure Act changing retirement rules
• Divorce rates doubling since then

I reviewed a client's 1987 trust last month. It referenced "computer diskettes" and assumed his kids would all live within 50 miles. 

One son's in Singapore. The daughter runs an online business from Costa Rica. The "diskettes" are now 2TB of family photos in the cloud that nobody can access.

Great Scott, indeed.

What Your Pre-1985 Plan is Missing:

✓ Digital asset provisions
✓ HIPAA authorizations
✓ Updated tax strategies (estate tax exemption was $400K then, it's $13M now)
✓ Remote notarization options
✓ Cryptocurrency language
✓ Privacy protection from online searches
✓ Multi-state property considerations

The flux capacitor isn't real. But your outdated estate plan's problems are.

If your documents are older than Back to the Future, they're not protecting your family from 2025's reality. They're protecting them from problems that don't exist anymore while ignoring the ones that do.

My sons loved the movie. "Why don't they just text each other?" asked the 13 -year-old during the climax.

Exactly, kid. Exactly.

The world changed. Your estate plan didn't.

Time to bring your family's protection back... to the present.

(No DeLorean required. Just a conversation with someone who understands both where we've been and where we're going.)

Tony Rubin's post below isn't just good advice. It's critical protection for your family.

Beneficiary designations override EVERYTHING. Your will. Your trust. Your wishes. Your marriage certificate.

That checkbox is more powerful than any document I can draft for you.

Check them. Today. Then check your spouse's. Then call your parents.

Because the most expensive estate planning mistake isn't hiring the wrong lawyer.

It's forgetting to update a free form.

Do yourself a favor and check the beneficiary designations of your retirement accounts. Then check your spouse's and your parents' beneficiary designations! 

Best Practices for IRA beneficiary designations: 
1. Name both primary and contingent beneficiaries. This ensures that if your primary beneficiary predeceases you, the IRA won't default to your estate, which could trigger probate and less favorable tax treatment. 
2. Avoid naming your estate as the beneficiary. Doing so subjects the IRA to probate and limits distribution options. Estates are considered non-designated beneficiaries, which means heirs may face accelerated withdrawal requirements and higher taxes. 
3. Review designations after major life events. Births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and changes in relationships or financial goals should prompt a review of your IRA beneficiary forms. 
4. Coordinate with your overall estate plan. Ensure your IRA designations align with your trust and will. Conflicts can lead to unintended outcomes and legal complications. 
5. Consider tax implications for beneficiaries. For example, naming a trust or charity may have different tax consequences than naming an individual. Use caution and consult with a tax advisor when naming non-individual entities. 	

Wells Fargo Advisors does not provide legal or tax advice.

His Wife Discovered His Business Partner Was His Ex-Girlfriend...

My friend told me about this over coffee this weekend, and this one should be made into a movie (it could be a double feature with 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦)...

He'd built a $3M construction company with his "business partner" Sarah. His wife thought Sarah was just good with numbers. Smart hire. Professional relationship.

(𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 15 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.)

The operating agreement read:

"In the event of death, the deceased partner's shares transfer to the surviving partner."

Sarah owned 49%. Now she owns 100%.

Twenty years of marriage. Three kids. And his wife just learned her husband's business partner, the woman at every company BBQ, every holiday party, was not only his ex-girlfriend, but now owned everything they'd built.

Here's what nobody tells you about mixing business and secrets:

The Legal Landmines:
• Operating agreements override wills for business assets
• Buy-sell provisions don't care about your marriage
• Your spouse has no automatic rights to your business shares
• Death triggers immediate ownership changes

What Actually Happened:
• Wife got the house (still mortgaged)
• Kids got the life insurance
• Sarah got a $3M business
• Family discovered 15 years of lies

The construction crews? Still working. The contracts? Still valid. The bank accounts? Under Sarah's control by Monday.

The wife tried to contest it. Spent $50K on lawyers. Lost.

Why? The operating agreement was bulletproof. Drafted when they started the company. Never updated after marriage. Never discussed with his wife.

The Brutal Truth About Business Partnerships:

Your business documents don't care about your personal life.

They execute exactly as written. No exceptions. No mercy. No consideration for the family you leave behind.

His widow now works two jobs. Not because he didn't love his family. But because he couldn't have one uncomfortable conversation.

"Hey, honey, my business partner is actually my ex. We need to update our agreement."

Thirty seconds of discomfort. Versus thirty years of financial ruin.

What Should've Happened:
✓ Full disclosure to spouse (yes, even the awkward stuff)
✓ Spousal consent on major business documents
✓ Buy-sell funded with life insurance TO THE SPOUSE
✓ Regular operating agreement reviews
✓ Transparent succession planning

Your business partner's past matters.
Your spouse's future depends on it.
Your secrets become their nightmare.

The most expensive business meeting isn't the one where you lose a deal.

It's the one where your family discovers who you really were.

Update your operating agreements. Tell your spouse the truth. Protect what actually matters.

Before your secrets destroy everything you built for them.

The Legal Documents That Are Like a House of Cards - Remove One and Your Business Collapses

Your business isn't protected by the documents you have. It's destroyed by the ones you're missing.

Think of your legal structure like Jenga. Every piece supports the others. Pull one out? The whole tower becomes unstable. Pull two? You're watching it fall in slow motion.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟲 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱-𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀:

1. 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 → 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴
Your operating agreement says who can sign checks. But if your banking resolution doesn't match? The bank follows their paperwork, not yours.

2. 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 → 𝘕𝘰𝘯-𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴
Your non-compete is worthless if the employment agreement doesn't properly reference it (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 2025 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺). 

3. 𝘉𝘶𝘺-𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 → 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴
Beautiful buy-sell agreement. $2M valuation formula. No funded life insurance. Partner dies, surviving partner can't buy out the estate. Widow becomes your new 50% partner. Now you're explaining quarterly reports to someone who thought you sold widgets, not software.

4. 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 → 𝘓𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
Your contract caps liability at $50,000. Your insurance deductible is $100,000. Congratulations, you've guaranteed you'll pay the first $50K of any claim out of pocket. The gap between your contracts and coverage? That's where lawsuits live.

5. 𝘐𝘗 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 → 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬-𝘧𝘰𝘳-𝘏𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴
Your contractor agreement says you own all IP. But no work-for-hire language? They still own it. One developer held a startup hostage for $200K because the code he wrote was technically his. The IP assignment referenced work-for-hire terms that didn't exist.

6. 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 → 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴
Minutes say you approved a $100K equipment purchase. Never actually bought it. Minutes say you issued stock options. Never filed the paperwork. The disconnect between documentation and reality? That's where veil-piercing arguments begin.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁:

-> Map Your References
Every document that mentions another document. List them. Check they exist. Check they match.

-> Test Your Gaps
What happens if Document A disappears? Does Document B still work? If no, you've found a critical dependency.

-> Fund Your Obligations
Buy-sell needs insurance. Employment agreements need handbooks. Contracts need coverage. Unfunded obligations are just expensive paper.

Because your legal protection isn't your strongest document.

It's your weakest link.

The house of cards doesn't fall because you removed the wrong card.

It falls because you never noticed one was missing.

Until the whole thing comes crashing down.

The Black Friday Deal That's Actually Killing Your Business (And It's Not What You're Buying)

You'll spend $2,400 on Black Friday deals. New laptop. Software subscriptions. That standing desk you've been eyeing.

Meanwhile, your business is bleeding money through holes you can't even see.

Last Black Friday, a client bought $3,700 worth of "business essentials." Same holiday weekend, his ex-employee used their still-active login to download his entire client list. Started a competing business Monday morning.

The security software he didn't buy? Would've cost $89.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂:

1. Operating Agreement Update
That template you downloaded in 2019? Worthless. Get it professionally updated before someone tests it.

2. Cyber Insurance
Every business needs it. Most don't have it. One ransomware attack costs $200K average. Do the math.

3. Password Manager for Business
Not the free version. The one with audit logs and terminated employee lockouts. Because "Password123!" isn't protecting anything.

4. Professional Email Migration
Still using firstname@gmail for business? That's evidence you're not serious.

5. Legal Audit
Review contracts. Update banking resolutions. Check authorized signers. Boring? Yes. Necessary? Ask my client who lost $280K to an ex-partner.

The gadgets are sexy. The software feels productive. The ergonomic chair makes you feel successful.

But your LLC with missing documents? Your contracts from 2020? Your ex-employee with admin access? Those are ticking time bombs.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁:

1. Review every employee/contractor access (TODAY)
2. Update all banking authorizations
3. Get cyber insurance quotes
4. Schedule that legal audit
5. Buy the boring stuff that actually protects you

That 65" TV for the office? It won't save your business.

A properly updated operating agreement might.

The best Black Friday deal isn't 70% off something you want.

It's paying full price for protection you need.

Your future self will thank you. Your lawyer definitely will.

(𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘥.)

AILKEMY

"Think Further. Build Smarter. Lead Human."

After an intensive skunkworks and R&D phase, we launched AILKEMY for select client engagements. AILKEMY is a strategic intelligence consultancy that transforms information chaos into measurable alpha generation for investment professionals and leaders navigating AI transformation.

We help fund managers and executives generate measurable alpha by turning information chaos into decision-ready insights. We deliver private, board-ready intelligence that turns noise into decisive action. Confidential by default. It is either useful or it's not. We guarantee.

My Role as Co-Founder:
Product Management: Collaborated on the "Insight Engine", synthesis features, and verification methods across end-user needs.

Client Delivery: Lead MVP Insight Report pilots and the activation session that turns findings into actionable intelligence for our clients.

Go-to-Market: Built branding, sales, messaging, and narrative for executives, hedge funds, PE, VC, and large private investors.

Growth: Structured performance-aligned economics with zero long-term lock-in. Planned and launched campaigns to scale AILKEMY.

Why Clients Choose AILKEMY:
Hedge funds and multi-strategy platforms. Private equity and venture firms. Corporate strategy leaders and product teams. Large private investors and family offices.

✔️ Synthesis over summary: We reveal connections that change the decision.
✔️ Speed to signal: Time kills good ideas. We deliver while timing still pays.
✔️ Tailored intelligence: Built from first principles for your exact context.
✔️ Trusted foresight: Evidence-based and scenario-aware.
✔️ Founder accountability: You work directly with the founding team.

Signal mapping. Competitive and narrative intelligence. Scenario planning. Orthogonal validation. Regime awareness. Decision framing. Board-ready storytelling. Founder-led discovery and activation. The goal is simple: reduce decision latency and increase the quality of action.

Co-Founder, AILKEMY

Kaperider.com

About Kaperider Publishing, LLC

At Kaperider Publishing, we specialize in creating impactful books that inspire, educate, and empower readers across diverse topics, including technology, artificial intelligence, marketing, mental health, fitness, and more. Our mission is to bridge the gap between ambitious ideas and actionable outcomes, helping authors craft content that resonates with audiences and drives meaningful change.

Founded by Daniel Stouffer, a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in strategy, innovation, and digital transformation, Kaperider Publishing offers a unique blend of expertise, creativity, and results-oriented execution. From initial research and topic development to book outlining, authoring, and strategic marketing campaigns, we guide authors through every step of the publishing process to ensure their ideas reach the right audience.

At Kaperider, we believe that great books start with great strategies. That’s why we focus on:

🌟 Comprehensive Support: From concept to launch, we provide the tools, resources, and expertise to help authors succeed.

🌟 Actionable Insights: We simplify complex topics, transforming them into accessible, engaging content for real-world impact.

🌟 Strategic Marketing: Our tailored campaigns connect authors with readers, ensuring their work makes an impact in a competitive market.

What sets us apart is our commitment to excellence and community. Inspired by his role as a professional firefighter in Minneapolis, MN, Daniel Stouffer brings a team-first, mission-driven ethos to Kaperider Publishing. This unique perspective informs our collaborative approach, emphasizing trust, resilience, and the power of clear communication.

Whether you’re an experienced thought leader or a first-time author, Kaperider Publishing is here to help you bring your vision to life. Together, we’ll create books that inform, inspire, and leave a lasting legacy.

Author w/ Book & Newsletter Publishing

Winnebago

I'm in the middle of helping to steer a significant digital transformation initiative at Winnebago Outdoors. We're upgrading the ERP system to a new platform consisting of Microsoft D365, Salesforce, and the Teamcenter systems.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) role is collaborative, involving deep engagement with the Agile Release Train (ART), a composite of agile teams working in concert to achieve a shared objective. Here's a closer look at what an RTE does day to day:

✔️ Navigating Complexity: An RTE acts as the captain of the ship in turbulent digital waters, guiding the ART through planning, execution, and delivery. This involves facilitating Program Increment (PI) planning sessions, a critical event where the roadmap for the next phase is charted, risks are assessed, and strategies are devised.

✔️ Fostering Synergy: One of the greatest strengths of an RTE lies in its ability to foster collaboration among diverse teams and stakeholders. This role ensures alignment across various functions, encouraging transparency and communication. The RTE serves as a bridge between strategic goals and tactical execution, ensuring everyone moves in unison towards common objectives.

✔️ Driving Value Delivery: At the heart of SAFe is the relentless focus on delivering value to customers. An RTE ensures that every element of the ART contributes to this goal, optimizing flows, removing impediments, and managing risks. This consistent drive towards efficiency and effectiveness culminates in accelerated time-to-market and enhanced product quality.

The presence of an RTE within a transformation initiative brings several advantages. These include improved coordination across teams, enhanced clarity and focus on business objectives, streamlined processes, and a significant uplift in the morale and productivity of agile teams. Essentially, an RTE turns chaos into clarity, complexity into simplicity, and plans into action.

Digital Transformation Manager

Fyndr Group

Get Your New Talent Found Faster with Fyndr.org
--------------------------------------------------------
Fyndr.org's mission is to create a more efficient, scalable, zero-cost process for hiring managers and candidates "to fynd each other", by leveraging AI technology to job search at scale.

At Fyndr.org, we help renewable energy, recycling, energy storage, and Green or Clean Tech companies find the perfect job candidate for their open positions; not just in terms of skills and qualifications, but also in personality, culture, and world outlook.

Our AI driven solutions support hiring managers and job seekers every step of the way — by connecting those hiring directly with those looking for opportunities. Job seekers are recommended by someone that knows them personally. 

Because finding your “next fyndr” isn’t just about credentials, it’s about creating opportunities for everyone involved to thrive with the resources, introductions, and opportunities to grow an awesome team.

Note: Fyndr.org is a concept, product, website, and marketing campaign created by Daniel Stouffer, as a case study to demonstrate his talents AND to help with his job search.

https://fyndr.org/about

Program & Product Manager, Owner

reThink-Solar

In 2007, a spark ignited my love for solar, fueling a drive toward a renewable future, one community at a time. Born from a desire to make solar energy accessible and affordable to all, we embarked on a quest to redefine the solar engagement. 

Starting with solar leasing in 2007, then residential sales, to commercial contracts, and now to Community Solar for all.

It's been an exhilarating ride, flavored with challenges, triumphs, and countless learning moments. Today, reThink Solar stands as a beacon for change, guiding individuals and businesses toward a brighter, more sustainable tomorrow. One that can be totally without costs or expense when you have the key ingredients.

reThink Solar's Mission

At the core of reThink Solar pulses a steadfast mission - to weave the benefits of solar energy into the fabric of everyday life. We dream of a world where everyone, regardless of whether they own or rent their home, can tap into the power of the sun.

Our mission is simple yet bold: connect our customers to local community solar farms, ensuring a minimum of 5% savings on their electric bills annually for up to two decades. Now, with our services extending across numerous states in the USA, that dream is becoming a reality. 

At reThink Solar, we believe that everyone should have access to clean and affordable energy, regardless of whether they own their home or business. That's why our community solar model is designed to connect with renters, homeowners, and small businesses alike.

The power of the sun is for everyone — because reThink Solar believes that change, like sunlight and all renewable energy, should be universal and unbound. There's no simpler path to saving on your electric bill while championing renewable energy.

https://rethink-solar.com

Renewable Energy Advisor, reThink Solar

SunPower Corporation

Coordinated prioritization, roadmap planning, product backlog management, and product team execution for $36M portfolio of related programs. Managed 9 product delivery teams, total of 50 members, engaging internal and external stakeholders and cross-functional teams to create energy storage solutions and renewable energy digital platform capabilities.

* Added 25K more customers to mobile app by developing and launching complex digital features.

* Managed 5 concurrent projects, from defining scope and allocating resources to mitigating risks, consistently delivering project plans, resource allocations, and prioritized backlogs.

* Reduced time-to-market for new SKUs from 6 months to 3 weeks by implementing new and improved new product introduction process (NPI).

What truly sets me apart is my tenacious passion, drive, and motivation. I don't back down when things get tough, even when it seems like everything is on fire. I learned this fearless attitude from my experience in the fire service. When faced with challenges, I don't run away – I run towards them. I bring this mindset to everything I do.

If you're looking for a Technical Program Manager who can navigate the complexities of your projects with confidence, deliver exceptional results, and bring a fiery passion to the table, then look no further. I'm a servant leader when it comes to agile product delivery processes, lean UX, and implementing business agility. I am ready to take on the challenge.

Technical Program Manager (storage solutions)

Elevance Health

Orchestrated product delivery timelines to achieve budget and delivery goals. Managed backlog for 25 user experience designers. Leader behind the scenes organizing and prioritizing projects with stakeholders across 7 different strategic objectives aligned to quarterly product plans. Crafted sprint plans outlining goals, tactics, schedules, risks, and resource allocation for 300+ digital products group.

* Wrote project charter and obtained team resources across 6 business units, built recurring 4-week cycles of “Plan, Do, & Measure” iterative planning cycles, resulting in formation of new business intelligence (BI) analytics team.

* Improved team throughput 11%, providing program support and direction for 5 to 7 scrum teams, clearing obstacles to ensure initiatives were delivered, meeting stakeholder requirements.

* Collaborated with procurement to improve supply chain operations for internal and vendor-maintained products, reducing onboarding of new technology into IT organizations from more than 4 months to less than 6 weeks.

But beyond all the technicalities, I am a firm believer in agile product delivery, lean UX, and embracing business agility at scale. In this fast-paced digital age, it's crucial to be able to adapt quickly to market changes and seize emerging opportunities with innovative, digitally-enabled solutions. 

That's why I leveraged lean and agile product development practices to continuously deliver top-notch products that truly impressed.

Strong advocate of agile product delivery, lean UX, and implementing business agility at scale. Support the ability to compete and thrive in the digital age by quickly responding to market changes and emerging opportunities with innovative, digitally-enabled business solutions. Leveraged lean and agile product development practices to continually deliver innovative, high-quality products (https://www.scaledagile.com).

Digital Program Manager (portfolio strategy)

Ideation, Product Management, and Strategic Thinking -- I have a proven record of managing process driven teams, as well as complex software products and web application development projects, both standard and extremely agile. 

I’ve been a contributor and leader of physical and virtual teams across many projects. I represent the user experience across the organization by breaking down the user needs, strategic vision, and delivery into achievable outcomes that drive user value.

I know exactly what it takes to drive the business, rally the engagement of diverse teams, and effectively manage programs. I’m really a Swiss Army knife relating to program management.

I help manage the user experience resources within the agile product and development processes within Anthem Healthcare. This role requires a cross-discipline approach to understanding process, workflow, and communications. I live "working in the grey" to help development, product, and user experience teams deliver valued product to the Anthem members.

Product Teams Manager (user experience)

Geostella

Executed product strategy, planned and managed road map for Solar SaaS engineering teams. Uncovered customer pain points and industry trends. Led cross-functional teams across 55-person start-up to create solar energy platform. Managed bi-weekly feature releases to drive growth and keeping ahead of the competition.

* Delivered innovative products, expanding market user adoption in first 6 months, by developing and executing revised product roadmap, aligned to company goals and customer needs, increasing leads generated 23% and PV system installations 1.1K.

* Developed and executed product roadmap, aligning with company goals and customer needs, reducing the 500+ backlog items to 75 actionable features

* Implemented agile product development methods, resulting in a 4 capability teams focused on core product lines which created 2 week release windows

* Collaborated with sales & marketing, product engineering, and field operations teams to develop effective roll-out strategies that minimized inventory costs

Geostellar pioneered big-data geomatics to make solar energy accessible, affordable and plentiful. The company is the recipient of numerous awards, including selection as an IHS Energy Innovation Pioneer, the Global Cleantech100, the Global Cleantech Cluster Association's Best of Solar, and the Always On Going Green Global 2000.

Director Product Management (field operations)

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

User Experience Design with Mentoring of Agile Teams

Led user and client meetings, collected and analyze product data to determine product feasibility. Created personas, task scenarios, and navigation & solution hierarchies. Helped wireframe and prototype product with various levels of field study and usability testing to ensure ease of use.

* Launched 3 internationalized websites by placing end user in focus during entire design process.

* Co-developed new hybrid approach for agile project delivery across 8 scrum teams, reducing backlogged features 35% and team churn, and delivering more user-friendly solution.

* Decreased slack time between feature start by developers 3 days due to better requirements definition

* Wireframed and prototype the product with various levels of field study or usability testing to ensure ease of use and feasibility.

* Worked with design teams and developers to successfully launch a new partner website.

* Invented user-centered design processes and methodologies that worked within the corporate environment.

User Experience Manager with focus on wireframes, user experience, and mentoring agile teams. Examples of websites where I was the UX Lead include https://www.ameriprise.com/ and https://www.columbiathreadneedleus.com/.

Manager User Experience (product delivery)

Verisae | an Accruent company

Drove platform capabilities guided by roadmap aligned with company goals and customer needs. Conducted market research, identifying gaps in market and helped UX / UI designers better understand how research, feature value, and engineering effort connected.

* Increased market share 20% by conducting thorough market research and competitor analysis to identify opportunities for product innovation.

* Collaborated with key stakeholders, customers, and cross-functional product teams to iterate product and establish tracking metrics, improving user satisfaction ratings 30%.

* Developed and executed public relations plan with industry experts at Gartner, Forrester, and others resulting in several magazine publications and placement of Verisae in the top quadrant of energy and sustainability SaaS platforms.

As an Information Architect then promoted to Digital Product Manager, IOT Energy Management, I help design how to make the right content and features available to the right people at the right time. 

My role involved the development of content systems and product features that help users find and manage asset, energy, and environmental data and access insights through business intelligence more successfully across the Accruent IoT SaaS platform.

Verisae is a provider of technology (...purchased by Accruent) and services for big retailers, manufacturers and other complex organizations. They do one thing better than anyone else. They  help our clients manage energy, maintenance, GHG emissions, and environmental performance through a single set of closely related technologies, connected devices, and IoT innovation.

Lead Digital Product Manager (energy IoT & SaaS)

The Ground Beneath Leadership Is Shifting

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to lead through uncertainty without a map, welcome. This is where we draw the new ones. AI isn’t knocking politely at the door. It’s rewiring how teams operate, how decisions get made, and how value is created.

Old playbooks don’t bend. They break. And the burden of clarity? It’s falling squarely on you.

If you’re the one responsible for making sense of chaos for integrating new tech, managing team emotions, aligning systems, and staying strategic without burning out, then AILKEMY was built with you in mind.

You’re not a passive observer of change. You’re the one others look to when everything changes. 

AILKEMY exists to help you build that kind of organization. We don’t hype tools. We train humans to lead through disruption.

Why Read AILKEMY? 

AI won’t replace you. But teams who master human–AI collaboration will. This isn’t about man versus machine. It’s about hybrid orchestration, the art of blending automation with empathy, speed with systems thinking, and clarity with courage.

Who Reads AILKEMY? 

AILKEMY is written for the most accountable people in the room—those who don’t have the luxury of waiting for certainty. Whether you lead others, build products, run a team, or want to stay relevant, it helps you lead with clarity, not chaos.

Why I Publish AILKEMY?

I’m Daniel Stouffer. I’m an author of dozens of nonfiction books, a systems thinker, a firefighter, and a futurist. I’ve helped leaders navigate disruption for two decades, not from a theory lab, but from the front lines of change: in startups, classrooms, fire stations, and boardrooms.

I write AILKEMY because I’ve lived the pressure of needing answers when the playbook no longer works. I know what it feels like to be the one people look to in moments of uncertainty. 

This newsletter, and the “Insights-as-a-Service (AIS) we’re launching, is my way of offering a lifeline of clarity, one issue at a time.

https://news.ailkemy.com

Daniel Stouffer

The Real Story Behind Amazon’s Massive Job Cuts

Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy didn’t hide the reason. He told employees that “AI adoption and improved productivity” would lead to job reductions. Translation: AI agents are doing work humans used to do — faster, cheaper, and without vacation days.

This isn’t new…

AILKEMY Co-Founder, Author, and GenAI Marketer. ╰(*°▽°*)╯ “Think Further. Build Smarter. Lead Human.”

Open article: How Amazon’s 30,000 Layoffs Signal the End of Traditional Corporate Work by medium.com

How Amazon’s 30,000 Layoffs Signal the End of Traditional Corporate Work

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗜? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗨𝗽 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁

AI isn’t a “𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱” anymore. 

It’s already shaping how teams make 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀, and 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 

The leaders who understand this aren’t waiting for perfect timing; they’re adapting now.

And here’s the quiet tension most leaders feel but rarely say out loud:

What if the biggest threat to your organization isn’t AI… but staying locked into the same leadership style you used before it arrived?

That’s where 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 steps in. Not as another loud, overhyped tech book, but as a simple, clear guide to help you lead with confidence in a world that’s moving faster every day. 

It’s built for leaders who want to stay 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀, and 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 through change without fear or confusion.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲.

https://lnkd.in/gFWwfjUn?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 “𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹” 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿?

We rarely talk about this on LinkedIn… but many top performers are driven not by passion, but by old survival instincts. 

You learn to excel because slowing down once felt unsafe. 

You smile because showing struggle wasn’t an option. 

You lead because being strong was the only role you ever knew.

And on the outside? You look unstoppable. On the inside? You’re exhausted from carrying a past your mind has outgrown… but your nervous system hasn’t.

This is where 𝗘𝗠𝗗𝗥 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 becomes life-changing. It doesn’t force you to relive trauma, it helps your brain finally process it. The panic quiets. The perfectionism softens. Rest stops feel dangerous.

If you’ve ever wondered, “𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?”, the answer might not be mindset. It might be memory.

Real growth isn’t performing strength. It’s finally feeling safe enough to stop pretending.

https://surl.li/senksy

#EMDRTherapy #Traumahealing

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂, 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘄

You’ve walked through fire.

You’ve sat in therapy with a trembling voice.

You’ve journaled the memories you once tried to outrun.

You’ve meditated long enough to meet both the storm and the silence inside you.

So why does doubt still whisper, “𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲?”

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘆.

Your life isn’t defined by what happened to you,  it’s defined by the choices you make now.

What you think, commit to, and step into next determines whether you keep surviving… or finally start living.

https://lnkd.in/gCKdXbiD

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘀: 

We look unbreakable in the daylight… yet it’s the quiet moments, hotel rooms, late evenings, and long drives where everything starts to slip.

𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

That slow unraveling that doesn’t look dramatic from the outside but feels like your mind is picking a lock from within.

𝗡𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗡𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 

Just a familiar pull toward the old escape route.

But what if the problem isn’t that you’re weak…what if your toolkit was simply never designed for the life you’re living now?

That question sits at the heart of 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆, the newest playbook in the Beyond Survival series, built not for the broken, but for the brilliantly functioning humans who are still carrying survival wiring.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

https://lnkd.in/gGG3pCdh

The question lingers in the air like static…

If AI can give all the answers, why do they still need us?

AI doesn’t steal your value. It revealed it.

Open article: Why AI Taking Your Old Job Makes You More Valuable Than Ever by kaperider.com

Why AI Taking Your Old Job Makes You More Valuable Than Ever

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺? 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁?

Every expert knows this feeling.

Your wisdom is deep. Your story is powerful. Your impact is real.

But the book inside you?

It sits quietly in the background while you run the show, clients, operations, fires to put out, deadlines to meet. “𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘆” becomes a graveyard for brilliant ideas.

You don’t need more time.
You don’t need to become a writer.

You just need the right system that turns your knowledge into a scalable author business without you writing a single word.

That’s exactly what we built at 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀.

If you’re ready to turn your expertise into authority, revenue, and a platform that works even when you’re not,  your book doesn’t have to wait anymore👇

Open article: How Ghostpartners Turns Your Wisdom Into A Scalable Business Without You Writing by articles.kaperider.com

How Ghostpartners Turns Your Wisdom Into A Scalable Business Without You Writing

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲… 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄?

It hits all the right points, clear, concise, and persuasive.

But something’s off. Something human is missing. That spark that says this is real, this is lived, this is uniquely mine… It’s gone.

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗜 promises speed, efficiency, and scale.
It can produce entire articles, emails, or marketing copy in seconds.

But at what cost?

Too often, it smooths over the quirks, the emotional inflections, the rhythm of your language, the imperfections that secretly make your writing magnetic.

And in a world where anyone can generate content in seconds,
𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰.

Open article: When AI Writes, Who Speaks? How Generative AI Threatens Your Voice (And How to Reclaim It) by articles.kaperider.com

When AI Writes, Who Speaks? How Generative AI Threatens Your Voice (And How to Reclaim It)

𝗕𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁… 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁?

If you’re a small business owner, you know the drill:

You’re the 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻, the 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, the 𝗛𝗥 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, the operations team…and somehow still the one making dinner at 8 PM.

It’s not entrepreneurship. It’s exhaustion dressed as productivity.

And then people say, “𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗜!” As if that magically solves the overwhelm.

𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝘀.

Small businesses don’t need another shiny trend.

They need clarity.
They need simplicity.
They need tools that remove pressure, not add more to your plate.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀? 𝗢𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱?

https://lnkd.in/gPeDVJfu?

If the world moves this fast, why are we still following yesterday’s maps?

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘁. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘁.

And deep down, you know the truth:  𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

We need to teach young people how to 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸, 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁, and 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀, not memorize solutions that might already be outdated.

What’s one way you’re helping your students, or your team, navigate a world that keeps changing?

Open article: Teach Self-Directed Orchestrators, Not Dependents by articles.kaperider.com

Teach Self-Directed Orchestrators, Not Dependents

We were told we could have it all: a 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫, a 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬, and a home that looked like a 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝.

And for a while, we did.

Until the quiet moments started to feel unbearable.

You know the feeling, that anxious buzz beneath your skin, even when everything looks fine. You meet deadlines, remember the snacks, send the emails, show up with a smile… and still collapse at night, wondering why peace feels like something you’ll “earn” later.

It’s not you.

It’s the hustle.

Open article: Success Feels Like Survival: Why Moms Are Ditching the Hustle Habit for Inner Calm by rb.gy

Success Feels Like Survival: Why Moms Are Ditching the Hustle Habit for Inner Calm

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

You didn’t fight your way to sobriety to survive it, did you?

You came this far to feel alive again, to wake up without the 𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞, the 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞, and the ache of pretending you’re “𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞.” 

But if you’ve ever caught yourself white-knuckling through stress, biting back cravings, or wondering why peace still feels out of reach… maybe it’s time to ask a more complicated question:

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Open article: You’re Not Broken, You’re Wired: The Neuroscience of True Sobriety by articles.kaperider.com

You’re Not Broken, You’re Wired: The Neuroscience of True Sobriety

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Your CRM isn’t a graveyard. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲. But only if you know how to listen.

Most leaders secretly assume the worst: 

Unqualified leads. 
Deals that never moved. 
Prospects who ghosted. 
Follow-ups that die somewhere between “𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸” and “𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻.”

We label these things as failures. 
We move on. 
We rebuild the pipeline from scratch. 
And we burn more money in the process. 

But what if those “𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀” aren’t dead at all? 

What if they’re patterns?
Signals.
Unclaimed revenue you already earned… but never collected?

This is where 𝗔𝗜-𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗢𝗽𝘀) flips the script.

Your business isn’t underperforming, your visibility is.

It’s time to illuminate what’s been sitting in your CRM all along.

https://lnkd.in/gFPgUn-4

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝘅-𝗙𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀! 

If you’re a 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿, you’ve probably spent years polishing expertise, gathering stories, and collecting insights you know could help people. 

Yet your book still isn’t finished… or it’s published but not producing the clients, revenue, or impact you hoped for.

Here’s the truth most authors never hear:
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.

This book isn’t about chasing algorithms, pleasing gatekeepers, or throwing your manuscript into the void, hoping something magical happens.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲.

Open article: The Secret Every Six-Figure Author Knows (But You’ve Been Trained to Ignore) by articles.kaperider.com

The Secret Every Six-Figure Author Knows (But You’ve Been Trained to Ignore)

The latest essay in my 42 Essays Project is live: “When I Die?” 

It begins in a quiet room and ends with a posture you can live by. Evidence beyond the story. Practice beside philosophy. 

If you want a steady way to face endings and love better now, grab the complimentary copy and let’s talk about it.

https://lnkd.in/gEYTnUX7

A Field Guide for the Last Breath and Every Day Before It We measure a life in small sounds: the click of a defibrillator cart cooling in the hall, th

Open article: When I Die? by Daniel Stouffer • 3 min read

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺𝘀 “𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆,” 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀… 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸?

Ever wondered why remote work feels 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 and 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 at the same time?

Why is your team technically “𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲” yet somehow always behind?

Why does your workday stretch across time zones like a rubber band ready to snap?

"𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸."

It revealed meetings masquerading as clarity. 
Urgency pretending to be progress. 
Teams running on fragments of attention instead of real flow.

If that hits a little too close to home… it should.

Welcome to 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀, the playbook for leaders who want momentum without burnout. Because work shouldn’t feel like you’re sprinting in sand ⬇️

https://lnkd.in/gaTZQNAh

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦?

Remember your first job?
The shaky start. The kind manager. The lessons that shaped your career.

Now imagine that moment… no longer exists.

Because today, the first rung of the career ladder is gone.
AI agents now do what interns, assistants, and entry-level hires once did.

𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. 𝐍𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬. 𝐍𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰.

If AI takes the first job, how do humans still begin?

We built hiring systems on “experience required.” But what happens when no one gets a chance to earn experience in the first place?

Read more in 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫 at Amazon.

👉 https://lnkd.in/gQ5hWBft?

#BrokenLadder #FutureOfWork #ArtificialIntelligence

Remember your first job? 

That shaky start. The manager who showed you the ropes. The small mistakes that taught you big lessons.

Now imagine if that moment, that first chance, no longer existed.

Because in today’s world, it’s disappearing.

Open article: Broken Ladder: Rebuilding Human Beginnings in the Age of AI by danielstouffer.medium.com

Broken Ladder: Rebuilding Human Beginnings in the Age of AI

Another 3 a.m. zinger - Am I alone?

Let me name the first terror clearly. No one can live inside the full movement of your mind. Your thoughts, memories, and sensations are yours. Even the people who love you most cannot climb inside and steer. That privacy is real.

It's all good news once we learn how to hold it without fear.

Aloneness is not a defect. 

It is the space that lets just ‘being’ be truly meaningful...

https://lnkd.in/gK7nEZPv

A Field Guide to First-Person Terror At three in the morning, the ceiling turns into a sky without stars. The room feels bigger than your chest. You l

Open article: Am I Alone? by Daniel Stouffer • 2 min read

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧.

Generative AI has collapsed the 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭, and 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲. Campaigns that once required endless approvals now go live in just days. Teams that once required an entire floor of desks now operate with precision, one strategist and one AI system at a time.

But here’s the question leaders can’t ignore:

𝐈𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭…
𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩?
𝐎𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤?

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 isn’t just a guide. It’s a wake-up call. And for leaders bold enough to listen, it’s also a blueprint.

Open article: The Future of Marketing Is Faster Than You. Here’s How to Catch Up. by surl.li

The Future of Marketing Is Faster Than You. Here’s How to Catch Up.

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Andrew Ayers's LinkedIn Performance

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