Category: Estate Planning
The loss of a spouse creates different considerations for women than men as women are more likely to face financial challenges, according to a recent study. Here are some tips for addressing planning issues with recent widows. Although both widows and widowers face estate planning challenges after a spouse passes away, studies show that single […]
The parents of a Hudson boy who died in a 2011 water skiiing accident said they were bilked by their former attorney. Attorneys and estate executors should be trusted to do what is right when they represent your estate or the estate of your loved ones. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. A young […]
Just when you thought the estate tax laws were permanent, President Barack Obama comes out with a comprehensive plan for changes that would take away many strategies that save wealthy families taxes. As we’ve said before, estate planning is not a one-time project. As life changes, you need to make adjustments to your plan. And […]
Robin Williams’ children and wife have gone to court in a fight over the late comedian’s estate. In papers filed in December in San Francisco Superior Court, Williams’ wife, Susan, says some of the late actor’s personal items were taken without her permission and asks the court to exclude the contents of the Tiburon home […]
A wealthy elderly woman in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, has social media buzzing after posting a classified ad in the hopes of finding an adult daughter to keep her company and possibly inherit her fortune. Do you have wealth to pass on, but no children to leave it to? Let’s explore your options, even the unconventional […]
January is generally a busy month for estate planners as clients follow up on resolutions to get their estate plans in order. Here are some to-do’s you should consider for 2015 and beyond. So I have an estate plan … now what? Now you update your plan consistently. Don’t assume that establishing a plan is […]
Consider that diamonds are really carbon that’s been subjected to great pressures. You’re carbon, too. So a company called “LifeGem” will take your remains and make you into a diamond. As they put it, “diamonds from ashes are created from a very specific source of carbon – your loved one.” Really?? In nature, the forming […]
“I want what’s mine,” fumed Vanessa Nieves, 21. She learned late last year that her mother, Gloria Torres, allegedly tricked her into signing over the insurance money that she was supposed to receive at 18. Can your own parents be trusted when it comes to your future trust fund? For some, the answer is disappointing. […]
People have many options today for creating their own estate planning documents. Forms can be purchased quickly from websites and books. However, trying to create your own estate plan can actually be more expensive than hiring an attorney. While most of us would not try to do our own heart surgery or root canal, other […]
If you die unexpectedly, should your “digital assets” like text messages, e-mail and photos die with you? One cold night in December 2013, Jake Anderson left a party near the University of Minnesota campus and was inexplicably later found frozen to death in his car. The medical examiner ruled the death accidental, so there is […]
