# James K. Boyles — jameskboyles.com

> Wealth & Risk Management Advisor, estate planning author, and expert reviewer with 40+ years of experience in insurance and financial services.

## About

James K. Boyles, CLU, CFS, is a Wealth & Risk Management Advisor with 40+ years of experience creating comprehensive strategies to grow, protect, and transfer wealth across generations. He holds the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from The American College of Financial Services and the Certified Fund Specialist (CFS) designation from the Institute of Business & Finance. He maintains a Florida 2-15 Life, Health, and Variable Annuity license. As a Chartered Life Underwriter, he bridges complex insurance solutions with holistic financial and estate planning.

## Credentials

- Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) — The American College of Financial Services
- Certified Fund Specialist (CFS) — Institute of Business & Finance
- Florida 2-15 Life, Health, and Variable Annuity License — Florida Department of Financial Services

## Published Books

- A Consumer's Guide to Estate Planning Issues: What Every Family Needs to Know (Available on Amazon)
- A Consumer's Guide to Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts: Protect What You Built (Coming soon)
- A Consumer's Guide to Estate Planning for Business Owners: Why Your Operating Agreement May Matter More Than Your Will (Coming soon)

## Areas of Expertise

- Estate Planning
- Wealth & Risk Management
- Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts
- Life Insurance and Annuities
- Retirement and Income Preservation
- Long-Term Care Planning
- Asset Diversification
- Business Estate Planning
- Special Needs Planning
- Blended Family Planning

## Roles

- Wealth & Risk Management Advisor
- Expert Reviewer — Legacy Assurance Plan (legacyassuranceplan.com)
- Published Author — Amazon KDP

## Verification Links

- CLU: https://www.youradvisorguide.com/verify
- CFS: https://icfs.com/find-financial-advisor
- FL License: https://licenseesearch.fldfs.com/Licensee/1088580
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-k-boyles-clu/
- Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/stores/James-K-Boyles-CLU/author/B0GSXPPBTY

## Site Pages

- Home: https://jameskboyles.com/
- Books: https://jameskboyles.com/books.html
- Articles: https://jameskboyles.com/articles.html
- Videos: https://jameskboyles.com/videos.html
- Resources: https://jameskboyles.com/resources.html

## Articles (43)

### Trusts & Estate Planning Fundamentals
- What Is a Testamentary Trust and How Does It Differ From a Living Trust?: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/what-is-a-testamentary-trust.html
- How Does a Trust Work? A Plain-English Guide for Families: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/how-does-a-trust-work.html
- Will vs. Trust: A Side-by-Side Comparison Chart: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/will-vs-trust-comparison.html
- What Is a Generation-Skipping Trust and When Does It Make Sense?: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/what-is-a-generation-skipping-trust.html
- Contesting a Will: Grounds, Process, and What Families Need to Know: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/contesting-a-will.html
- The Step-Up in Basis at Death: Why It Matters More Than Most People Think: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/step-up-in-basis.html
- Do Beneficiaries Have to Pay Taxes on an Inheritance?: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/beneficiaries-pay-taxes-inheritance.html

### Medicaid & Asset Protection
- What Is a MAPT? Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts Explained: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/what-is-a-mapt.html
- How an Irrevocable Trust Protects Your Home From Medicaid: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/irrevocable-trust-medicaid.html
- Medicaid Estate Recovery: Can the State Take Your Home After Death?: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/medicaid-estate-recovery.html
- The Five-Year Lookback Period: Why Timing Is Everything in Medicaid Planning: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/five-year-lookback-period.html
- Medicaid Spend Down: What You Need to Know Before It's Too Late: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/medicaid-spend-down.html

### Business Estate Planning
- Why Your Operating Agreement May Matter More Than Your Will: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/operating-agreement-estate-planning.html
- Buy-Sell Agreements: How Life Insurance Funds the Business Transition: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/buy-sell-agreement-life-insurance.html
- What Happens to an LLC When a Member Dies?: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/llc-member-dies.html
- Beneficial vs. Controlling Interest: The Framework That Solves Business Estate Conflicts: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/beneficial-vs-controlling-interest.html
- Family Farm Succession: IRC 2032A, the Lookback, and Keeping the Land in the Family: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/family-farm-succession.html
- Personal Guarantees: The Business Debts That Follow You to the Grave: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/personal-guarantees-estate-planning.html

### Special Needs Planning
- Special Needs Trusts Explained: How to Provide Without Disqualifying: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/special-needs-trusts-explained.html
- ABLE Accounts: The Tax-Advantaged Savings Tool Most Families Don't Know About: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/able-accounts.html
- Special Needs Estate Planning: The Gift That Takes Everything Away: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/special-needs-estate-planning.html
- First-Party vs. Third-Party Special Needs Trusts: Which One Does Your Family Need?: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/first-party-vs-third-party-snt.html
- The Letter of Intent: The Most Important Document No Attorney Drafts: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/letter-of-intent-special-needs.html
- Sibling Planning: The Conversation Nobody Wants to Have: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/sibling-caregiver-planning.html

### Blended Family Planning
- Estate Planning for Blended Families: Why Everything to My Spouse Is the Wrong Plan: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/estate-planning-blended-family.html
- The QTIP Trust: Income for Your Spouse, Principal for Your Children: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/qtip-trust.html
- Stepchild Inheritance Rights: What the Law Does and Doesn't Provide: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/stepchild-inheritance-rights.html
- The Prenuptial Agreement as an Estate Planning Tool: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/prenuptial-agreement-estate-planning.html
- Community Property vs. Common Law: What Your Spouse Already Owns: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/community-property-vs-common-law.html
- Estate Planning After a Second Marriage: Protecting Everyone When Families Merge: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/second-marriage-estate-planning.html

### Beneficiary Designations & Ownership
- Per Stirpes vs. Per Capita: The Default That Disinherits Your Grandchildren: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/per-stirpes-vs-per-capita.html
- Beneficiary Designations: The Documents That Override Your Will: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/beneficiary-designations-override.html
- Tenants by the Entirety vs. Joint Tenancy: Which Protects You More?: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/tenants-by-entirety-vs-joint-tenancy.html
- If My Name Is on the Deed, Do I Own the Property?: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/name-on-deed-own-property.html
- Joint Ownership With Right of Survivorship: What Passes Automatically and What Doesn't: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/joint-ownership-survivorship.html
- The SECURE Act 10-Year Rule: What Every IRA Beneficiary Needs to Know: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/secure-act-inherited-ira.html

### Incapacity, Probate & Elder Law
- Conservatorship vs. Guardianship: What's the Difference and How to Avoid Both: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/conservatorship-vs-guardianship.html
- How to Avoid Probate: 6 Tools That Keep Your Family Out of Court: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/how-to-avoid-probate.html
- Power of Appointment vs. Power of Attorney: Two Different Tools: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/power-of-appointment-vs-power-of-attorney.html
- How Long Does Probate Take? What Families Need to Know: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/how-long-does-probate-take.html
- Elder Financial Abuse: The $28 Billion Crime Nobody Reports: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/elder-financial-abuse.html
- Durable Power of Attorney: Your Financial Voice When You Can't Speak: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/durable-power-of-attorney.html
- Nursing Home Rights: What Every Family Should Know Before Admission: https://jameskboyles.com/articles/nursing-home-rights.html