The recovering sex addicts I counsel often ask what their partners need in order to rebuild trust in the wake of sexual betrayal. My initial answer is pretty obvious: TRUTH, in combination with fidelity, respect, and an end to manipulation. She needs to know her mate really wants to hear her heart and is willing to share his own. But the most basic need of all, the one that will be essential in eventually restoring trust, is unfortunately the one that is most destroyed by betrayal — a sense of emotional safety in the relationship.

When the addict understands that the quest for emotional safety is the fuel that drives the behavior for partners of sex addicts, the myriad of emotions and actions that frustrates recovering addicts and confounds many therapists becomes understandable.

Betrayal is traumatic for partners. When a mate’s betrayal occurs in the context of a sex addiction the prospect of future betrayals can’t be ignored and the resulting anxiety becomes overwhelming. Not only does the partner no longer trust the addict, she no longer trusts her own intuition. Since she either ignored her intuition or her intuition let her down, self-doubt is now rampant. Intuition, that most basic innate mechanism for safely navigating her emotional world is either silent, now a source of mistrust, or is difficult to distinguish the sound of her own intuition from trauma generated fear.

The partner was hurt by what she didn’t know, or didn’t understand, about her sexually addicted spouse. If she was hurt in the past by what she didn’t know, she can be hurt in the future by what she doesn’t know. This often triggers an intense need to find all the pieces of her mate’s sex addiction puzzle and to put them together in a way that gives her a sense of understanding what she’s up against and whether she wants to stick around for the outcome. The puzzle she’s attempting to solve is, “How do I keep myself emotionally safe.”

The partner of a sex addict believes she can no longer rely on the addict for either truth or reliable information, nor does she believe she can rely on her own judgment. Thus, the route to emotional safety appears to lie in either interrogation or detective work. This awareness can result in a compulsive-like fixation on seeking out “proof” of further deception as both a way to gain some sense of understanding about the betrayals of the past and predict the relational landmines in her future.

As the sex addict moves deeper into recovery, the partner’s sense of emotional safety is further undermined by the self-doubt that is now associated with periods of relative calm, or the fear that is triggered as trust begins to grow again in the relationship. At first glance, this may seem counterintuitive and is easier to comprehend in other types of trauma. For example, imagine you are out for a drive in your car, aware of how much you are enjoying the scenery of a beautiful day and the pleasant music in the background, and your last conscious thought before being hit by a truck you didn’t see coming is, “I am really having a good time.” It is quite likely that in the future any awareness of enjoying yourself while driving might become coupled with subsequent fear. We often experience this as ‘the shoe is about to drop’ fear.

For the partner of a sex addict the ‘shoe about to drop’ feeling may occur as she becomes aware of a growing sense of security and trust in her mate. For example, the partner may notice that the overt indicators of her mate’s sexually acting out are no longer evident and that he sounds sincere when professing his commitment to be sexually sober and faithful. She may think to herself, “I’m not noticing any signs of betrayal” and breathe a sigh of relief.

Suppose, however, her next thought is, “but I didn’t see any signs before. I thought I could trust my own perception of reality in the past. I was wrong then and was blindsided by betrayal. I’m going to get hurt again.” An initial feeling of security now triggers a huge rush of fear. She will go on full alert to protect herself from the danger her nervous system is telling her is near. This often serves as a precursor for what partners refer to as the “emotional rollercoaster” or an influx of intense and sometimes paradoxical emotions in combination with intrusive thoughts and memories. This includes increased physiological arousal, sleep disturbance, poor concentration, obsessive-compulsive like behaviors, and fluctuating feelings of fear, shock, anger, sadness, anger, that may alternate with numbness.

So how does the recovering sex addict help his partner restore a sense of emotional safety? TELL the TRUTH! When the addict is telling the truth, his words and behaviors will line up consistently across time. After a significant period of words and actions consistently correlating, the partner will eventually begin to restore trust.

How does the partner begin to restore a sense of emotional safety? Stop relying solely on changes in her mate’s behavior to determine the level of emotional safety in the relationship. Although her mate’s sexually addictive behavior may be the cause of her pain, the wounds are in her heart and only she can heal them. Be willing to reach out to a healing community of other partners who can provide support and advice for how to better contain the pain. Most importantly, recognize that personal boundaries will be the greatest single source of empowering herself. Once truth, containment and boundaries are firmly in place, emotional safety will be re-established and the recovering addict and partner can begin the task of rebuilding the relationship.

Effective and successful networkers have several traits in common. They are respected among their colleagues, they are professional, they follow up and they can be trusted. Trust is considered a fragile thing in the world of business. It is hard to build and easy to tear down. Trust can be achieved instantly or can take a long time to acquire. But once trust is secure, networkers and professionals should try their hardest to maintain and develop it for business and social success.

List below are tips that networkers, professionals and students can use to build their trust with new business counterparts and old friends.

The Name Game

A great way to gain someone’s trust and attention is to remember their name. Names come a dime a dozen but people really pay attention and acknowledge their counterparts who respect them and remember their name. Professionals may have tons of excuses why they have a hard time remembering names. Learn to say the person’s name as often as possible during the initial networking conversation. Ask for a business card so that you can link their name with their face. Also follow up in a timely manner and send out an email or phone call. These are great ways that networkers can remember their business counterpart’s name.

Actions Speak Louder

One of the most embarrassing events could be to link up with a professional, make a promise and not follow through. It is also the quickest way to lose your credibility and trust with that particular person. It is true that actions speak louder than words. Be an individual of your word. Follow through with even the smallest commitment. Keep yourself and others accountable. These are also great ways of showing professionalism.

Be Prepared

While attending networking events and business functions, always come prepared. Arrive on time and have enough business cards. Make sure that you RSVP ahead of time as a form of etiquette. Have a proper handshake and a great 30 second speech for introducing yourself. Ask great networking questions and listen carefully as others speak. Take a genuine interest in your business counterparts and follow up to develop good relationships. These keys will gain you an outstanding amount of trust.

The legal arrangement referred to as a trust is entitled for developing various strategies for accomplishing & formulating estate planning, asset protection and privacy benefits for the settlers and beneficiaries (those who are entitled to receive trust’s income or principle either currently or at some time in future). It has been around for several hundred years. An increasingly popular tool of asset protection and estate planning is the Family Savings Trust. A family asset protection trust proves extremely beneficial in the case of high net-worth individuals, parents of complex or difficult family situations, family businesses considering succession planning and private business owners thinking about retirement and safe business exit plan. It can be very flexible in form and allows for the accomplishment of most important asset protection and estate planning goals.

A family saving trust is a successful strategy for holding ownership interests in entities such as companies / corporations, family limited partnership firms, and limited liability companies. It is an absolute legitimate approach to hold and protect family assets against lawsuits, business risks and uncertainties. A family saving trust is an absolutely bendable form of trust that can incorporate combined provisions of domestic as well as offshore arrangements within the language of the plan document. A family can hold all its assets within the trust but it must govern it with special terms that are favourable for assets. In most of the cases, the issues with outright gift to a child or successor in the family are eliminated through the use of family saving trusts.

As an additional feature the “offshore advantages” can also be included in the family savings trusts (in case the situation demands at some later point). The family asset protection trust can be structured to shift to a more favourable and relaxed jurisdiction (domestic or foreign), ie in case the situation demands. The provision can be applied to force any future plaintiff to the foreign location to the trust has already migrated to but is new or inconvenient to the plaintiff. Here, the family must ensure that they move the trust to a foreign location before the registration of any plaintiff against them else the country’s jurisdiction shall hold the matter entitled for the native legislation only.

With the creative trust strategies, the planning opportunities for achieving tax savings and asset protection advantages are certainly unlimited. Families can achieve this with the support of knowledgeable and experienced attorneys in the field.

So many of us have or had trust issues. Trust seems to be one of the major reasons we humans fight ourselves and others for control.

We are taught through fear not to trust. We become afraid to trust the unknown. Since we came into this Earthly Realm filled with unconditional love and a sense of openness, we are deeply connected with Spirit and the Angelic Realm.

Coming from the Realm of Spirit into physical form to experience being human, sets up a chain reaction that begins by absorbing beliefs, both positive and negative, through our DNA and becomes embedded within at the cellular level.

Before we go any further, I want to be crystal clear… this is not about blame or finding gault. It is about becoming consciously aware of the root cause and literally choosing to dismantle the old to create a new positive, uplifting reality.

To do this — free ourselves from the past — we must be willing to be willing to walk up to the Lion on our pathway with an open hear and open arms, facing our fears head-on with love and compassion.

It’s another way of turning to face the shadow parts or ourselves that we would rather forget and dis-own. The longer we resist bringing the darkness within us in to our hearts and into the light, we hold ourselves separate from our truth of being whole and complete.

The next step is being willing to acknowledge that we — in human form — are simply not in control because everyone has been gifted with free will, the choice to choose between struggle or surrender.

Choosing surrender does not absolve us from doing our part. It does, however, gift us with a sense of freedom to tap in to the Angelic Realm, to receive the guidance we crave.

Surrender is giving-up negative self-talk and giving-in to a deeper sense of trusting that we are genuinely connected with the pureness of our Soul Essence, unconditional love, peace and harmony.

When I was confronting the Lion of distrust, I would imagine floating in a sea of complete and total surrender. I’d close my eyes, focus on my breath cycles and go deep within to that place of peaceful knowing.

Assariel, the Angel of Trust, can help you let go, releasing all your cares, concerns and worries. If floating on your back in the water frightens you, ask this Angel to gently cradle your body, know you are safe and protected at all times.

Ask for help in surrendering fear and doubt, chaos and confusion. Ask for healing at the cellular level, freeing your heart and mind from all that no longer serves your highest and best good.

Trust evokes a sense of bliss, a deep knowing that you are eternally connected and all your material wants, needs and desires are immediately and endlessly supplied under grace, in miraculous ways.

Have you ever read a self-help book that tells you that you have wisdom within, and you found it hard to accept that fact? Or, have you been told to listen to your inner voice and trust your intuition–and yet your scientific conditioning tells you to discard such nonsense? And how about the advice to pay attention to what your conscience is telling you?

All of these admonitions have a long history of existence, even if many people believe that without worldly experience it’s impossible to have insight or wisdom. In reality, nothing is further from the truth. The experiences of young and old alike give first hand evidence that in a mysterious way–not fully understood by anyone–we all get critical information from we no not where (we just say within or from the unconscious).

The fact is, useful information for decision making, and living with all of the losses and changes in life, frequently shows up at just the right time. Many have attributed it to guardian angels, spiritual guides, inherent intuition, imaginary playmates, the inner voice of love, deceased loved ones, or the kingdom of God within. In any event, inner guidance is available to anyone who is open to it and chooses to ask for it. Here’s how to utilize this powerful and often unused resource.

1. Find a quiet place where you can relax and feel secure without interruptions. Take some deep abdominal breaths and tell yourself to slow down and release the tension in muscles. Pretend you are descending in an elevator, going deeper and deeper within your mind and heart. Listen for the silence. Give yourself a few more minutes to fully relax. Then picture where you feel the originator or source of your wisdom might reside.

2. Now ask for an image or sign from whomever (God, your angel, a deceased loved one, your unconscious mind, etc.) you feel is responsible for the many flashes of insight and useful ideas that in the past seem to have come out of nowhere. Listen for what pops into your thoughts or what image appears. Study it carefully.

3. Ask your inner advisor, in whatever form it appears, if he/she will help you in dealing with a current problem or decision you have to make. Listen. Carefully observe what appears in your thoughts or in image form. Make every attempt to relax and comfortably relate to what appears, just as you would with an old trusted friend. The image may change in answer to your question, or you may hear a yes or another affirmative response.

4. Make a specific request for an idea, direction, or information you need in dealing with your current crisis. No matter what appears in your mind or thoughts, even if it does not make sense, consider it carefully. Most of us have prior expectations that often cloud and confuse what comes into our conscious awareness. So make a careful examination.

5. Ask follow up questions and see what comes back in return. As your thoughts and images appear throughout your search for the wisdom within, have a pen and pencil handy, so you can write down or draw what you experience. Sometimes you may get a sense of what to do and not have an image or a sound as a sign. You just “know” this is the way to go in addressing your issue. It will feel good. It will feel right.

6. Whatever you receive from the experience let your heart and your reason work through the various scenarios that could play out, if you act on the advice. Consider alternative ways of interpreting what came up, who would be affected, and whether the new choices you have before you are perhaps too risky to put to work at this time. Always weigh benefits and disadvantages in an atmosphere of love.

7. Because we have all been conditioned by society to expect instant success or there is something wrong with us, give yourself time to develop the faith in contacting the wisdom and the source of that wisdom that lies within. It is there and you can be sure it will pour forth if you are patient. Persist.

And what should you do if on a very rare occasion a negative or demeaning image or thought comes forth from your request for help? Realize this is not your inner wisdom surfacing. Most likely, it is a punitive authority figure from the past. The love that is behind the inner gift would not permit a hurtful message as wisdom. Learn to ferret out whatever might be useful, but dismiss the hostility and continue your search. You do not have to submit your interior life to an enemy that does not belong there.

To summarize, if you want to be transformed, trust your inner voice–your best intuitions. The wisdom we need is there for the asking and the listening. Our culture has trained us to dismiss this useful resource. Consult your heart first, and your reason will catch up later. Trust yourself to make the choices and decisions that present themselves. We all possess that inherent capability to profit from the amazing individuals that we are.

Charitable trust is pertinent for those who are willing to give their property or asset to a charity and in return the charity guarantees that the heirs of the property owner would receive a large tax break. The work starts first on ensuring the trust within the charity by means of the charitable remainder trust. Before donating to the charity make sure that it’s recognized by the revenue system and has significant tax-exempt status. The assets or property which you want to give to the charity gets entrusted in a trust.

Then the charity acts as trustee and decides the ways to invest the property and assets kept in the trust. The charity will grant the beneficiary termed by you by granting the income made by investing the property and assets for a certain period which is until your life time or the stipulated time period given. At the end of the stipulated time period the property placed in the trust moves on to the charity.

Tax breaks offered by the Charity:

• Income tax: The one who donates can get an income tax deduction up to five years for the contribution made, interest rates based on norms present in the trust document
• Estate tax: If your estate is worthy to get subjected to federal estate tax at the time of your demise, then the property which is included in the trust does not become the part of taxable estate and whatever present in the trust will move on to the charity after you die.
• Capital gains tax: If you are to sell your property at a higher price than the time bought, then you need to pay capital gains tax for the property. As you have placed your property under a charitable trust, they become authorized to sell the property and is liable to pay the gain obtained, as capital gains tax are not applicable for any type of charity.

Receiving Income from Charitable trust:

• Fixed annual income: You can fix the net annual income from the charity. Once you fix the amount as irrevocable, the charity pays you every year the stipulated amount.
• Assets percentage: There is also another option instead of the fixed annuity; you can receive certain percentage of the asset’s worth in the trust annually. This is hugely helpful during economic crisis but beware if the asset’s value decreases then there is chance of gaining a lesser money than the previous year.

The need of an Attorney:

Estate planning can lead to a disaster if not planned properly because of the terminologies involved. Take help from Commercial Litigation Attorneys who are expertise in this field to sort out all the complexities and bring in a proper understanding about all the clauses before entrusting a decision.

If the choice we have is to believe in the blank nothingness of space or a father in heaven, which should we choose? I think today a lot of people would say, “I’ll trust the science”. But what do we do when the science keeps changing, is uncorroborated, or contradictory, and no two scientists can agree?

There are dozens of possible scientific theories regarding how the universe began. They can’t all be right, but the most popular is known as The Big Bang. To describe what this entails, I’ll take an analogy: imagine that a bomb explodes in an empty field and the falling debris happens to produce a mansion. What are the chances? A maths genius somewhere worked out the probability of that happening. It’s a huge number. In fact, the big bang as an explanation for creation is less likely than the same person winning the lottery five times in succession! Yet this is science’s default position on creation. This is not as surprising as it sounds; it’s perfectly possible to produce correct mathematical equations which do not accurately correspond to reality – just look at Zeno’s Paradoxes. We should be wary of theories based on pure mathematical structures.

If then we don’t have the definite scientific data to give us the answers we seek, what can we do? Perhaps we can use our senses and emotions to guide us. What feels right? There is nothing wrong with this method. Our instincts can be surprisingly accurate. For instance, we can all agree on things of beauty, on things of wonder, and equally on things that frighten or baffle us. When the sun rises every morning and sets at night; when we look at the stars; when we study the perfection of nature all around and the endless cycle of death and rebirth; when we stand at the seashore and watch the waves lap onto the beach in a steady, repeated rhythm, their soothing sound calming our nerves; when we watch birds and animals work out their days, living a life that somehow seems pre-ordained, knowing exactly what they need to do to survive and have fun, in silent obedience to secret laws, what do our instincts tell us? Are we to believe that all this, laws and codes hardwired into the core of living things, has somehow come about by chance? Or is it like something that has been carefully designed? Does it feel right that out of nothing, out of a vacuum, the universe grew into the marvel we know today? On the contrary, if we look at our planet and think, “this is really beautiful” then that judgement suggests a carefully worked out aesthetic.

The Big Bang Theory is just one option among many and happens to be the most popular, supported by high-profile scientists. But it contradicts several laws of physics, including the one about not being able to produce energy from zero. It also assumes that nature can, of its own volition, invoke order out of chaos, as in the example I gave of the bomb in the field. Actually, in all matters concerning nature, the law seems to be the opposite, that order descends into disorder; things decay. It’s called entropy. Once a piece of fruit is cut from its branch, the process of decay begins. It would be surprising if it happened the other way round. The key facilitator in decay is Time. Age corrupts and destroys. Only if we were able to take Time out of the equation could the process be halted. Travelling backward along this trajectory of self-annihilation suggests there was a moment when everything was good and in its prime and that the earth started from a point of perfection. Believing in a universe that is at the same time expanding in a uniquely logical manner whilst decaying toward rottenness is quirkily inconsistent.

So, what other options do we have when faced with the mysteries of creation? As children we were taught to pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven… “ This is the simple first line of the Lord’s Prayer which, in adults as well as children, for thousands of years inspired devotion, self-confidence and belief. But these days it is rarely heard outside of church, set aside at best as a religious trope, at worst as offensive to rational-minded people. Yet if we let our feelings guide us, it doesn’t seem so strange and is perhaps a better way of explaining the universe’s origins. I can easily imagine somewhere beyond the processes of earthly Time, into which things recede and from which they are made and enabled to grow. After all, every night we slip into a dream-state, a mysterious place filled with characters and action over which we have no control yet which seems as real as life.

The first line of the Lord’s Prayer in six words may well contain everything we need to know about this supra-natural place and the being that lives there. As always with the Bible, the words have been chosen carefully to impart significance and real meaning. “Father” tells us that the creative force behind the universe is more than just a mathematical equation; he is as real as we are and full of love for us, just like a really good father. “Art” is present tense which means he is not something which we can consign to the dim and distant past, or something to look forward to in the future, but alive now and ever present. And “Heaven” describes another plane of existence, one we can only imagine, which is filled with hope, light and joy alongside the father. How comforting to know that whatever problems life presents us with are only obstacles to test our resilience and determination on the way to Heaven, to know that at the end of life lies not a non-existence of nothingness, but a real and happy co-existence in eternity with friends and family.

The fact is, whether we choose science or the Bible with regard to the question of our origins, a leap of faith is required. It’s not a choice between fact and fiction, but between what feels right and what doesn’t. In other words, it’s up to us to trust our hearts and minds and not be swayed by false words and abstract theory. For me personally, God as Designer of our Universe remains powerfully convincing and a mainstay of my faith. What a reassurance there is in this; your father on earth might abandon you and you might never hear from him again, but you have a father in heaven who never leaves you.

While science has its place in helping us to understand the physical nature of our world, it may be a long time before it can explain the mysteries of life itself. Until then, faith is required. A miracle is something which does not obey the normal run of things and the big bang theory, if it were true, would have to be classed as just such an unusual event. Science as it stands cannot fully explain things outside our physical realm. E=mc² only works within a recognizable space-time continuum, and it may yet need to be adjusted to take account of surprising new properties being discovered all the time in particles many million times smaller than an electron, elements Einstein could barely have envisaged.

Science changes and adapts with time, but the truth doesn’t. When we say, “Our Father who art in Heaven” we are expressing something which has no beginning and no end, but is timeless. As theories go, that possesses as much credibility as any.

Since it can bring a powerful bond of intimacy and credibility in a relationship, trust is highly critical for a society to exist. Life is always built of relationships with people, and trust is vital to fill friendship, honesty, love and passion in a relationship. Trust is considered the central pillar supporting a relationship, and is compared to the concrete foundation of a house. In other words, trust in relationships is a two-way street, demanding equal proportion of respect from either side to manage it effectively.

Any relationship, whether it is personal, business, organizational, community, family, love, or romantic, cannot survive without trust. But, unfortunately, trust in relationships is now rare. Lack of trust may have a negative impact on one?s life. It can destroy the glory of relationships, thereby paving way for jealousy and devastation. Hence, modeling trust in relationships is important to improve the value of a long term deal. Trust in relationships generally depends on how true we are in expressing our feelings to others, particularly to those who are very close to us.

However, it is quite difficult to gain trust in a relationship. Building trust in relationships need considerable effort, commitment and time. Here are some steps to build trust for the maintenance of a healthy relationship. The foremost step is to be predictable. Consistency should be maintained in all the activities you perform. Another vital step to build a healthy relationship is to make sure your words match the message. Belief in others, awareness of one?s needs, and ability to keep secrets are also important for building trust in relationships.

Honesty is also a key to build trust in any relationship. Factors such as insightfulness, responsiveness and unbiased opinions must be considered for winning trust in relationships. Once the trust is established, it can bring many benefits including huge profits with minimum cost, improvement in the reputation of a firm, and enhancement in the quality of relationships. Associate retention, effective communication, and motivation can also be gained through trust in relationships.

Almost every financial organization has a workout department. Their names are as varied as Problem Loan Administration; Central Loan Department; or Special Assets Department. A dealer may be assigned to one of these special departments, or a member of the department may start appearing at meeting with the dealer’s regular bank officer.

The courts have consistently upheld the rights of lenders to have workout teams and to have those teams, within broad parameters, take affirmative actions to protect the lenders’ interests.

Matching the average dealer’s experience with work-outs, to that of the lender’s experience, would be equivalent to matching a high school football team against a professional team. The professionals have played the game hundreds of times. They have seen and heard hundreds of presentations, arguments, excuses and reasons for a dealership’s problems, while the dealer, lacking experience, is encountering the trauma for the first time. Realizing the dealer will probably be a neophyte, with respect to workouts, the following rules are provided the dealer, as a plumb line, to be followed throughout the workout procedure:

1. Do Not Confuse Friendship with Business. Factories and lenders have seen and heard most of the workout plans any dealer could suggest. The have probably seen versions of each plan which have been refined over generations by some of the best minds in the business. Their experience, however, cannot help the dealer get the best benefits for the dealer.

Employees of the factory/lender have an obligation to their corporation and in turn to its shareholders, to get the best contract for their corporation. There is nothing wrong with that; they have a legal duty to their shareholders and creditors to protect them, not you.

They will, however, indicate whether or not you workout plan is “acceptable” or “unacceptable” to them. If the proposed plan is “unacceptable”, one of two things can happen. The dealer can keep proposing plans, until one is accepted, or the factory/lender might suggest an acceptable alternative.

If the factory/lender suggests a plan acceptable to them, it means just that: the workout plan is acceptable to the factory/lender. It does not mean, and should not mean, the factory/lender will not approve some other plan, which may be more beneficial to the dealer, if the dealer knows what to request and how to structure it.

2. Do Not Confuse Optimism with Confidence. Optimism means expecting a plan will work. Confidence means knowing what to do if it does not. Never act without confidence.

3. Do Not Value a Dealership by the “SOT + Assets” Formula. The odds against that plan working are about the same as the odds against winning the lottery, except the ante is higher.

4. Do Not Say “SOT”. Sometimes a dealer talks in terms of SOT (Sold Out of Trust) or OT (Out of Trust) with the factory or lender, when the dealer actually has SAU (Sold and Unpaid) units. Once the dealer refers to an out of trust situation, it puts the factory/lender in a precarious position. All sorts of rules then come into play, both legal rules and company rules, which would not have had to take effect if the dealer used the phrase SAU. The factory/lender can’t read minds to know the dealer really meant SAU, instead of SOT. From the moment the phrase SOT is used, the only thing the listener knows for certain is, if there is a law suit and the listener were asked if the dealer said he or she were SOT on such and such a date, the listener would have to answer “yes.” Don’t put them in that position.

5. Do Not Lie. Don’t lie to yourself; don’t lie to the factory; don’t lie to the lender.

Dealers, who lie to themselves about their problems, how they got there, or their ability to solve them, base their entire solution upon a lie and, without exception, compound and complicate the original problems.

A lie to the factory/lender will alienate the only entities which have both the ability to help and the most to gain, besides the dealer and the dealer’s family, in finding a workable solution. When in doubt, remember what Mark Twain said: “I never got hurt by anything I didn’t say.” He also said that when he was ninety, he recollected he had worried about a lot of things in life, most of which never happened.

6. Do Not Panic. There are many challenges in business, and being short of cash is but one of them. Numerous dealers have been there before and numerous dealers have survived.

Analyze the problem as if it were someone else’s problem, and compose a short letter as if you were giving advice to another dealer. The advice should be to get professional help. A storm at sea, calls for seasoned sailors. No one would want a crew with little experience in storms, unfamiliar with navigation, no charts, no radar and no one to call upon for advice. A dealer with a SOT problem is in a big storm, except it won’t go away with time. Without help, the dealer’s family, friends and employees will all be affected. The dealer has to make tough decisions, or time will make them-and the dealer will not like the decisions time makes.

At the time the lender has the second meeting, referred to above, wherein the lender wants the dealer to sign the work-out agreement, the dealer should be prepared to structuring of the work-out plan, the handling of a keeper, the method of repayment and such.

As soon as you know you are OT, your first call should be to us (or someone as experienced as us) and your second call (after visiting with us, your attorney and accountant) should be to the credit company. Telling the credit company you have sold and unpaid units before they tell you, is vital to establishing a foundation upon which to build a work-out plan. At the same time, Automotive Advisors’ experience is vital to the dealer and the dealer’s attorney and accountant, in providing constructive suggestions and in planning and recognizing realistic options.

If you have children, you know how important it is to make plans for them in case you unexpectedly pass away. While no one really wants to think about this possibility, you never know what the future holds so it’s vital that you make arrangements for who will care for your children after you’re gone. However, if you have a child with special needs, planning for the future is even more important. If you have a unique family situation, use these tips so that your loved ones are taken care of.

What Is Guardianship?

In typical situations, parents will appoint a guardian — someone who will take care of their children until they reach the age of 18. However, in families with special needs children, sometimes the responsibility doesn’t end when the child reaches age 18. Depending on the child’s requirements, he or she could require full-time medical care or assistance well after age 18.

Guardianship of a special needs child can require a lot of patience, which means you need to select your guardian carefully. In many cases, parents who have performed these day-to-day care tasks have support systems in place, but guardians who are thrust into this position may not have the patience, support or coping mechanisms in place to care for a child with special needs. Before you name someone, make sure that they fully understand what guardianship could mean to their everyday life.

Why Is A Special Needs Trust Important?

A regular trust can help provide for your dependents after you’re gone. Money is placed in a trust, where it is held until the child reaches a specific age — generally 18, 21 or 25. Before then, a trustee ensures that the money is used for qualified expenses, such as educational and medical costs.

If you have a special needs child, however, his or her requirements can be quite different. Some children qualify for government assistance and if the money is placed into a regular trust, it might have to be drained before he or she qualifies for any government assistance. A special needs trust can’t be touched, which can help protect assets, while still allowing the child to qualify for help.

Who Can Help With These Issues?

Some parents think that they can simply download a few forms off the Internet and have trust and guardianship papers completed in just a few minutes. However, this is a terrible idea. You’re protecting what’s most precious in your life — your children. For this reason, it’s important that you contact an experienced estate lawyer. He or she will be able to help you determine what your family requires so that your children will be taken care of after you’re gone.

To find a local estate planning attorney, ask your friends, coworkers and family members if they have any recommendations. Having a personal recommendation can help ensure that you’ll be pleased with the service from an attorney and that you can be sure that your family is protected.