There’s never a good or easy time to talk with older parents about their finances and estate plans. But taking advantage of a relaxing moment –well before problems arise – can improve the odds of success. If you are heading out for vacation with your elderly loves ones, you may picture some relaxing time by […]

Only 17% of dog or cat owners have taken any legal steps to provide for pets’ care after their death, according to a recent survey by the ASPCA. Most people simply assume that a friend or relative will take care of their pet after they’re gone, animal advocates say, and many pets wind up in […]

WHEN James Gandolfini, one of the most recognizable actors of the last decade, died of a heart attack while on vacation last month, the response was as intense as you might have expected for the man who was Tony Soprano. But then something odd happened: a few weeks after he died, the discussion shifted to […]

Long-Term Care, LTC, planning is one aspect of retirement planning that many people overlook. They don’t want to cover the additional expense of LTC policies, and find it difficult to plan for care that they might not need for years down the road. Before becoming a retiree, you tend to plan for those “someday” moments, […]

Are the proceeds of life insurance policies owned first by a taxpayer’s wife and then owned by a family trust, includible in a taxpayer’s gross estate? The estate tax is currently set at a generous level, with married couples able to protect up to $10.5 million combined. So it can be enticing for many taxpayers […]

At the most recent meeting of the She Owns It business group, the owners discussed succession planning. The topic is of particular interest to Susan Parker, owner of Bari Jay. She and her sister, Erica Rosenfeld inherited Bari Jay from their father, Bruce Cohen, who had never created a formal succession plan. In fact, neither […]

Elijah Smith said he wanted to be an organ and tissue donor when he applied for a driver’s license in September. But his family didn’t find that out until he was declared brain dead by doctors on July 4 after being struck in a hit-skip crash while riding his bicycle the day before. As a […]

Weird berries. Capsules of unpronounceable supplements. Yoga or tai chi. Crossword puzzles. Such amulets, we’re told, may ward of disability — which is the real fear that accompanies aging, isn’t it? Not the sheer number of years that will have passed, but the things we’ll no longer be able to do. Lifespans are becoming much […]

Mara has bravely faced what millions of Baby Boomers are facing: their aging parents aren’t going to stay financially competent forever … If Mara could give you a heads up today, she would tell you to note those little signs of a parent not being sharp with finances. Dementia is not really a disease in the […]

According to a recent WealthCounsel survey, 35 percent of people are crafting their estate plans to avoid mismanagement by their heirs. They are setting up trusts, naming third-party trustees to manage their bequests and delaying the age that heirs receive them. There are a number of hard questions when it comes to planning for your […]