Natural disasters happen! Catastrophes! Accidents! Illness! No one gets out of this world alive, but we can plan to make it easier on those we leave behind. If you have accumulated assets or have minor children, you need to do some estate planning. The more complicated your life, the more complicated your planning needs to […]
Read More »Are Trusts a Good Idea?
To some estate planning attorneys, trusts are the default option. Their wealthy clients generally pass assets to heirs that way. Trusts can keep inherited wealth safe; assets left outright to individuals may be vulnerable to estate tax and divorce and creditors and scam artists. That said, trusts might not always be the best choice for […]
Read More »Basic Estate Planning Mistakes You Can Stop Making
Estate planning tends to get pushed to the back burner, as more pressing financial tasks take center stage. But neglecting estate planning is a huge mistake. Estate planning may involve hiring an attorney or financial advisor, but plenty of people make the mistake of going about estate planning on their own. Some 38% of those […]
Read More »Estate Planning Lessons in the Death of Whitney Houston’s Daughter
Bobbi Kristina Brown’s tragic death offers a number of poignant end-of-life lessons for parents, young adults, and seniors alike. First and foremost, health and legal experts say Brown’s death spotlights the need for establishing written advance medical directives as early as age 18. These include the designation of a healthcare proxy, a living will, and […]
Read More »Why Do You Need a Will?
This article gives the example of a businessman who had named his son as the nominee in all his investments. Since the son was managing all the father’s investments, it was convenient. But since the businessman passed away without making a will, now his daughter is finding it difficult to prove that she, too, has […]
Read More »Would You Choose Cousin Vinny to Be the Guardian of Your Kids?
Estate planning is a key element in any financial plan no matter what your age. Estate planning allows you to decide how your assets should be distributed upon your death. In essence it allows control from the grave! And a word of advice to those under 50, dying does not just happen to old people. […]
Read More »Now That’s Awkward!
An awkward part of estate planning is telling your kids how much — or how little — they’ll get. Here’s how a financial planner can help. For clients, one of the most stressful aspects of estate planning — already an emotionally difficult process — is the prospect of telling heirs what they plan to […]
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 »