We publish a lot on this blog about preparing your estate plan: writing a will, setting up a trust, choosing beneficiaries and nominating guardians; but there is another side to estate planning, a fun side… the receiving end. You may assume that the receiving end of estate planning is the fun and easy part, but [...]
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“No one wants to think about dying. But refusing to look at the documents that will determine where your money goes when you pass away will not make you live longer. It will just make sorting through everything more difficult for your heirs.” So begins Paul Sullivan’s recent article in the New York Times, and [...]
Creating an estate plan to protect your minor children is one of the most difficult—and most important—things you will ever do; this is especially true if you and your child’s other parent are separated or divorced. Relationships don’t always end amicably, but if you do have children it is definitely worthwhile to put aside your [...]
Everybody knows the latest big news: President Obama’s healthcare reform bill was finally approved by the senate—for better or worse—and although politicians may still be arguing the benefits and evils of the bill across party lines, most Americans are asking one simple question: What does this legislation mean for me? CNN Health attempts to answer [...]
A recent article in the New York Times calls choosing a nursing home for your loved one “one of the hardest [decisions] you will ever make;” and yet it is a decision that almost all of us will have to think about eventually (whether for a grandparent, parent, spouse, or for ourselves.) It is a [...]
Could it be that some movement finally happening in the House of Representatives with regards to the estate tax? It looks like it may be, if we are to believe this recent article in Bloomberg Business Week. According to the article, the House Ways and Means Committee has plans to begin discussions in April (after [...]
Do you need long-term care insurance? You may think you’re too young to think about that quite yet, but what about your parents? If you’re reading this blog it’s likely that your parents are at an age where they soon may need some sort of care, whether that will be in-home care, nursing care, or [...]
This time of year often involves spring cleaning for many families: reorganizing the closets, clearing the weeds and brush from the yard, and getting rid of all those boxes in the garage or basement. Spring seems to be a time to take stock and start fresh… at least in the home. But what about with [...]
Somewhere between Family Law and Estate Planning lie Prenuptial Agreements. These documents—once avoided at all costs by all but the super-rich as pessimistic or unromantic—are now considered by just about every financial advisor or specialist to be good financial planning, good estate planning, and just good sense. Prenups are no longer just for the rich [...]
When it comes to estate planning there are two major vehicles for the distribution of property: A will and a trust. Both are very useful tools and can accomplish specific goals—but how do you know which one is best for your family? Which document you will need depends on a number of factors, some of [...]