A Wisconsin estate planning attorney who faced 33 federal charges stemming from fraudulent activity and stealing her wealthy clients’ money has reached a deal and will plead guilty to five of the charges.
Read More »Using A Revocable Trust as the Primary Method for Disposing of Your Estate
If you haven’t considered using a revocable trust rather than a will as your main estate planning document, you could be making a critical mistake. A recent MoneyWatch article, “5 reasons you need a trust, not a will,” lists five reasons for using a revocable trust as the primary method for disposing your estate.
Read More »Which Type of Trust is Right for Me?
Trusts can be a great way to update an estate plan, whether within a will or as a separate estate-planning tool. Trusts have a reputation for being something that most people don’t have to worry about, with most seeing a trust as a vehicle for the ultra-rich to protect their assets from taxes and other […]
Read More »Talk About End-of-Life Planning Now!
When you dare to think ahead to the last days of your life (if you dare to think about that), what do you imagine? If you are like 70 percent of Americans, you dream of spending your final days at home, in peace and comfort, surrounded by loved ones who care for you compassionately until […]
Read More »Answers about the Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP) Trust
The facts of life include remarriage. Almost 42 million adults in the U.S. have been married more than once, up from 22 million in 1980, according to the Pew Research Center. For older Americans, remarriage can pose estate planning problems. Even for couples who share children, potential remarriage might be a concern. And even if […]
Read More »What’s that Document Called Again?
“Mistitling of assets is one of the prominent causes of failed estate plans,” asserts Avani Ramnani, CFP®, director of financial planning and wealth management at Francis Financial, a wealth management firm in New York. What might go wrong? As an example, Daniel Timins, CFP®, an estate planning attorney in New York, says that one critical […]
Read More »The Executor’s Cheat Sheet
One of the most important things someone can do to best ensure their estate is handled without a hitch is to appoint the right person as the estate’s executor, sometimes called a representative. So what do you need to do if you’ve been appointed an executor of someone’s estate? Being selected as an executor is […]
Read More »“Will” You or Won’t You?
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 »Know When to Update Your Estate Plan
Updating your estate plan isn’t something you think about too often. Why should it be? You’re happy, healthy, and you have a good life. Letting the negative “what ifs” creep in only puts a damper on your day. As painful as it is to consider, estate plans are critical. If anything happens to you, it’s […]
Read More »How to Care for Your Pet … After You Pass Away
We love our pets. Nearly two-thirds of all Americans have a pet, and among those who do, nearly 70% have a dog; 50% have a cat; 11% have fish; 8% have birds; and 7% have horses, rodents or reptiles. Nearly 90% of all pet owners consider their pets to be part of their family, and […]
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