Probate is an important legal process for authenticating a deceased person's will, reviewing their assets, paying their outstanding debts and taxes, and distributing what remains to their inheritors. After an asset-holder dies, the court will appoint a valid will's executor…
You should check your estate planning documents every so often, to make sure they’re still good, especially with big life changes like births, marriages, divorces, and moving to another state. Children grow up, marriages dissolve, property gets sold, residences change.…
My family and I don’t own much. Can’t we put off planning until we can afford it? You shouldn’t. It is crucial to give legal authority to a person of your choice, to care for your children if anything should…
Most parents choose to treat their children equally when it comes to inheriting property or money. But sometimes, parents intentionally choose to not leave anything to a child, and the reasons for doing so may vary. One reason could be…
Wills and trusts have specific and quite different benefits for estate planning purposes. Each state has specific laws and regulations governing these legal documents. You can have both a will and a trust; however, the information in each should compliment…
Your estate plan can benefit from including a letter of instruction. It is an informal document that will give your loved ones important information about personal and financial matters after your death. Letters of instruction are not legally binding and…
It’s time to rethink your financial retirement portfolio. You may have built up a significant nest egg in a 401(k) plan, but it does come with serious baggage during your golden years. It is impossible to argue against the early…
In the United States, turning age 65 is a milestone on many levels. Before this birthday, there is a hefty checklist that you need to address to continue aging successfully. Overall the most crucial thing to do before turning 65…
Concerns about your memory or that of a loved one should never be ignored. There are many resources available through a simple internet search, and professional associations that provide education and guidance through a maze of questions you may have…
During this COVID-19 pandemic, a difficult question especially demands an answer: if you or a loved one is taken down into life-threatening illness, how far would you want extreme life-prolonging measures to be tried? For us who are particularly vulnerable…