As we have written about time and again, estate plans are incredibly important. They are also very complicated, with a lot of moving parts and terms that many people don't know or understand. Because of this, putting together an estate plan is an intimidating task...
Imagine if you are a beneficiary or heir to one of your parents' estate. When the unfortunate time comes and they pass away, you are eventually sat down by an attorney that works on behalf of your deceased parent. That attorney informs you that your parent didn't have...
In less than 12 hours, we will turn our calendars to to January 2016. We will all celebrate a new year, and we will marvel in all of the possibilities that such a new year can bring. Promises will be made and resolutions will be kept (or broken). And in this regard,...
Estate planning is an inherently complicated topic that can leave many people feeling confused. As such, people who are entering the estate planning process often have a lot of questions on their mind. Let's answer a few of the typical questions that get asked while...
"A tale of two very different shoppers."That is how a recent national news article chronicling the financial difficulties confronting many middle-class families across the country terms the current year-end holiday season. A closer look at the story reveals what is...
Planning for the inevitable is a great way to stay organized in your life. But when that "inevitable" situation involves your impending death or incapacitation, it can be very difficult to muster up the motivation to plan for it. However, it should go without saying...
As you can imagine, most deaths are exactly "planned." People don't know when they are going to die, and even if they plan for the end and die of old age -- i.e. if they have an estate plan and are medically declining to the point that death seems apparent -- there...
In our last piece, we talked about how unmarried couples and people who don't have children should organize and prepare their estate plan. For the married folks, today's post is for you. Let's talk about estate planning for married couples and how they can best...
Given just how important it is to have an estate plan, and given that these estate plans often refer to spouses or children that the testator may have, it raises this simple, but important, question: what do people who have never been married do with their estate...
We've talked about wills quite a bit on this blog in the past few months, and for good reason. A will is an incredibly important document, and everyone should have one. Additionally, there is no age early enough to start considering a will. Your will is the key to...
