Check out this article courtesy of STEP:
Read More »Caution: Your Traditional Asset Protection Plan is Set Up to Fail
You may be surprised to learn that you already have asset protection in place. In fact, you probably have one or more types of traditional asset protection planning in place at this very moment. The problem is it likely won’t be enough to protect you and your family.
Read More »The Flexible Protection of Trust-Based Planning
As you assess your goals for the year ahead, take a moment to review your legacy planning. You’ve hopefully already handled a few key pieces—set up and funded a trust, signed a will, created a power of attorney, etc.
Read More »Got Stuff? George Carlin Says You Need An Estate Plan!
George Carlin would have been a great pitchman for estate planning. You may remember his stand-up routine on “stuff.” We all have stuff, and we’re pretty particular about our stuff. We move it around with us, it’s hard for some of us to get rid of it, and some of us don’t like our stuff […]
Read More »How to Align Insurance with Your Estate Plan
If you’re like most folks, you use a variety of insurance products to manage risk and protect you, your family, and your assets from losses caused by property damage, businesses, property, accidents, disability, retirement, and death. However, instead of considering these insurances as separate items, we suggest you make them part of an integrated, overall […]
Read More »Why Does a Living Trust Cost More than a Will?
Yes, you will likely invest more in trust-based planning than will-based planning because you get a whole lot more value. Comparing these estate planning investments is like comparing apples and oranges – and the overall investment may not be what you think.
Read More »‘Till Death Do Us Part, Too: Estate Planning Tips for Commitment Without Marriage
Advice columnist Ann Landers once observed that “love is friendship that has caught fire.” If that’s true, there are thousands of ways for that blaze to unfold. For many Americans, such devotion and passion do not need to be neatly formalized as marriage.
Read More »Surprise! You Can’t Easily Disinherit Your Spouse in the U.S.
Believe it or not, in the U.S. it isn’t easy to disinherit your spouse. But the same is not true for other family members – generally, you can use your estate plan to disinherit your brothers and sisters, your nieces and nephews, or even your very own children and grandchildren.
Read More »Wills, Trusts & Dying Intestate: How They Differ
Most people understand that having some sort of an estate plan is, as Martha Stewart would say, a “good thing.” However, many of us don’t take the steps to get that estate plan in place because we don’t understand the nuances between wills and trusts – and dying without either.
Read More »The Pros and Cons of Probate
In estate planning circles, the word “probate” often comes with a starkly negative connotation. Indeed, for many people — especially those with larger estates — financial planners recommend trying to keep property out of probate whenever possible. That being said, the probate system was ultimately established to protect the property of the deceased and his/her […]
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