When it comes to estate planning, a “simple will” is often the starting point for many. But it’s important to understand that a simple will can cover basic needs but may not be right for everyone especially those with more complex situations. As noted in a recent article from The Courier-Journal, “Thank You and Simple […]

States vary on the requirements for what can be submitted to the courts if a will has been created but the original cannot be found. If you have created a will but have lost track of it problems can arise as the Napa Valley Register discusses in its column “Is lost will still valid?,” where […]

There are many ways to transfer assets but you still need a will. There are a number of ways to transfer assets from one generation to another but as Forbes explains in “Do You Really Need A Will?” there are still many reasons to have a will. Anyone with minor children should have a will […]

A little education can ease your mind on the future of Social Security. President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew Social Security would have its opponents through the years and purposely made it difficult to remove. And, as the Albuquerque Journal points out in “Social Security likely here to stay, so get educated” the program is not […]

Social Security benefits can continue despite your location, even in a different country. Americans can continue to have Social Security rights and also may have benefits in a foreign country’s retirement plans, according to the article in Public Opinion “Social Security: Retiring overseas? What you need to know to get benefits abroad.” If you have […]

If you receive benefits you need to know how to protect them. A security system that blocked not only thieves but many Social Security recipients from the website has been scrapped for now but your check remains vulnerable, according to the article in Computer World “Trusting the Social Security Administration?”. The problem stems from Social […]

New Hampshire librarian leaves millions to university. Generally speaking, librarians don’t leave a lot of assets behind when they pass away yet they sometimes do as My Central Oregon reports in “Librarian Quietly Saved $4 Million, Left it to School Where He Worked.” Robert Morin read a lot of books even to the point of […]

Setting up a trust takes work, effort and time but the results can solve a lot of problems. Creating a trust can be time-consuming but the efforts almost always pay off as reported in the Green Bay Press-Gazette article “Setting up a trust is worth the work.” The two biggest advantages to a trust are […]

The basics of a trust can be of great help in estate planning. The Motley Fool recently discussed some of the basics of the use of a trust in estate planning with its article “What Is a Trust Fund?”. The benefits of a trust and the advice for using them can be found in many, […]

What a person really needs to know about starting an estate plan is knowing the basics and finding a good attorney. Realtor.com recently published a list of estate planning basics in “7 Things Your Estate Planner Wants You to Know Before You Die,” in order to clear up some of the confusion that faces non-lawyers […]