Done right, death-bed revisions may save their families income and estate taxes and prevent misunderstandings and administrative hassles. If not handled carefully, though, it can leave a will open to legal challenges that can drag on for many years … During one’s final hours, people tend to review their last wishes to make sure all […]

In the end, the goal is to convert what is otherwise a fleeting inheritance into a perpetual wealth management opportunity for the family. This goal can only be accomplished through proper, coordinated planning. Our goal of passing along wealth to the next generation is to ensure their wellbeing and happiness well after we are gone, […]

I know that most people will simply write a check to their charity of choice but for many, there is a more tax efficient way to gift, right? With the end of 2013 fast approaching, have you considered your year-end charitable gift strategy? While it is sometimes hard to figure out to whom you are […]

Discomfort with the details prevents many people from obtaining the necessary coverage. The kinds of insurances we are “required” to buy help us with the minor bumps and scrapes in life and are sometimes easy to think about, shop for or ensure that we have adequate coverage. Auto and homeowners insurance, for example, come immediately […]

Now I am 86 and almost blind. I cannot read the bills that come in the mail nor sign my own checks. I must be escorted to medical appointments. My busy children are kind beyond measure, but I am uncomfortable in these situations. And being uncomfortable makes me sharp and unpleasant. The challenges of living […]

“Kids inherit money. We don’t want it.” Sometimes too much inheritance all at once is a threat to moral development, it’s true, but sometimes a gift can threaten a college education by complicating financial aid. As parents of the college-bound understand to a dizzying degree, financial aid is a difficult calculus of have and have […]

Estate planning is the process of legally structuring the future disposition of current and projected assets. Estate planning is many things. In order to present a solid definition of this particular type of planning, a recent Forbes article posed the question, “What Is Estate Planning?”. The article concludes that “Estate planning is the process of […]

When Carol and Mike Brady got together on the classic TV show “The Brady Bunch,” there wasn’t a lot of discussion about how the couple would handle things like updating their life insurance policies to reflect their new, blended family, or covering the cost of things like braces and college tuition for their six kids. […]

A will may say to divide an estate equally among three children. But if a particular account is titled to pass to just one, only that beneficiary will get the account. Your Last Will and Testament is the legal document to put your wishes in writing and get it all straight, right? Not necessarily. The […]

Here are some potential pitfalls to keep in mind for couples who are thinking of keeping some or all of their assets separate. When two people have lived together outside of marriage for some time, the question of who owns what can get downright confusing. Obviously, jointly owned assets can be tricky. Surprising, separately owned […]