As we age, our perspective shifts many times. We start to appreciate that how we live our lives will continue to change as our physical and mental abilities change. Taking an honest appraisal of whether and how we might need to rely more on our adult children is a...
When you make a trust to leave assets to one of your heirs, you likely have a goal in mind. You set the trust up in a way that can help to address that goal. For instance, perhaps you know that one of your heirs may struggle to pay for their college education, but...
It’s never too soon to start your estate planning. Today we will examine one type of trust you may consider as you weigh your estate planning options. If you plan on putting some of your assets in a trust for your heirs and beneficiaries, you might question whether...
As you make your estate plan, you may find yourself wondering if anyone is going to contest that plan. You know that a child may dispute your will if it turns out that you didn't leave them any inheritance. They could claim that you forgot to include them in the will...
Sometimes, the government makes changes that affect estate planning. It’s important to stay up to date on those changes, because if you don’t, you could miss out on the benefits that they could provide to you as you work to minimize the risk of taxation in the future...
When developing your estate plan, you have many options at your disposal. For example, you can decide to settle for only a simple will and a power of attorney. On the other hand, you can create detailed estate planning documents that give you continued control of your...
You have boxes full of family photos, closets full of mementos from your life and a lot of assorted items that really only have sentimental value. Or, maybe you have a major collection that has significant value and a few other high-priced items that you think of as...
When you have a child with special needs, you never really stop worrying about their future. In fact, you may have plans to eventually create a special needs trust to help fund a more stable, comfortable future for them once you’re gone. In the meantime, as soon as...
Most people want to leave assets that they’ve worked hard to accumulate during their life to their loved ones and other beneficiaries like non-profit organizations when they die. Careful estate planning allows people to determine what happens to those assets. What if...
You are a homeowner, so you write in your estate plan that your daughter gets your house while your son gets the money in the bank. If you have not paid your home off in full, technically, you do not own the home. The bank or mortgage lender does. Your daughter will...
