The holidays are upon us. It’s also a good time to get started with some Old Year end and New Year beginning planning activities, especially if family members are going to be celebrating the holidays with you. Start with reviewing what you have and how you own it (by yourself, with your spouse, with a […]
Read More »Silly Questions? Not When It Comes to Your Will
It’s something parents shudder to think about: a will. That’s probably why more than half of Americans with children do not have a legal will. Parents love their children, and the concept of dying and not being there for their children is simply not an option they consider. Establishing a will is a vital part […]
Read More »A Trust Is Still a Good Idea
Up until a few years ago, a common estate-planning technique included the use of irrevocable trusts to own life insurance intended for the payment of estate taxes. Properly arranged, this method allowed the policy’s benefits to be used to pay the estate taxes of the person who died without the policy being included in the […]
Read More »Need I Be Spoiled to Have a Trust?
Mention a trust, and the first thing most people think of is a spoiled kid living off an inherited fortune without having worked a single day in life. As a result, most people don’t know very much about trusts, and they assume there’s little need to have even a basic understanding of this useful estate-planning […]
Read More »Plan Ahead!
AARP says to head off bickering over your personal possessions, consider supplementing your will with a letter of instruction, an informal document that you can draft yourself. Where there’s a will, there’s a way—and sometimes an ugly family feud. Families are consumed with grief when a loved one dies, but unfortunately certain legal and organizational […]
Read More »A Few Words on Perpetual Trusts
Most people struggle to plan their financial futures beyond the next decade, while those with money and foresight are likely to think well in advance about what they want to leave their children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. But what about planning for eternity? It seems too long to contemplate. Yet in the last several decades, […]
Read More »Don’t Leave Your Estate Planning To “The Beaver”
Today’s families are a lot different than Ward and June Cleaver. There are more families today with non-traditional situations than ever before. It is very common in my profession to have clients with same sex marriages, second marriages with assets and children from a prior marriage, as well as families that may look traditional, […]
Read More »Estate Planning for Young Adults
People in their 20s often do not think that they need to worry about estate planning. They plan to live much longer, so they believe there will be time to get an estate plan later. However, you never know when tragedy can strike, so it is important that 20-somethings get estate plans. Younger adults normally […]
Read More »Lessons from Celebrity Estates in 2014
Important lessons about estate planning can often reach the general public through issues over celebrities’ estates. 2014 has been a busy year for such lessons. Americans are fascinated by the lives and deaths of celebrities. When a celebrity passes away, the public wants to know how his or her estate will be distributed.
Read More »Check Your Estate Planning List Twice, Just Like Santa
During this festive time of year, dwelling on estate planning may seem like a bit of a downer. Yet the end of the year is as good as time as any to take stock of your personal finances and also make sure you have done some proper estate planning. Having your affairs in order will […]
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