Category: Guardians
“Having an estate plan can ensure that fiduciaries are identified to oversee and distribute your assets in the way you would have wanted. As a business owner, your ownership assets in your estate may require a more sophisticated level of planning.” Do you need an estate plan? If you have children, ownership shares in a […]
“If you think of estate planning as something only ultra-wealthy people need to do, you’re not alone. That’s a common misconception.” Financial planners know that most people need to have estate plans, no matter how much or even how little money they have, as explained in this recent article “I’m a financial planner, and there […]
“By discussing finances with your children early and often, you can set them—and future generations—up for success, when it’s time to receive the wealth you’ve accrued.” Almost three quarters of the wealthiest people in the world—those whose net worth is higher than $30 million—are self-made, according to a Wealth-X report. Look closer into the world’s […]
“Talking about death makes most of us uncomfortable, so we don’t plan for it. That’s a big mistake, because if you don’t have an end-of-life plan, your state’s laws decide who gets everything you own.” Without an end of life plan, a doctor you’ve never even met might decide how you spend your last moments, […]
“Without an estate plan in place, clients will be reliant on state laws and probate courts to appoint individuals who will be responsible for financial affairs and health-care decisions, in the case of illness and ultimately the transfer of assets upon death.” The continuing escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to finalize […]
“It’s never too early to start working on how your things will be handled, once you pass away.” Estate planning is an all-encompassing term that refers to the entire process of gathering and organizing assets and making preparations for when you die, including caring for minor children and heirs. It also includes putting protections into […]
“Certain types of trusts, however, may only be used in very specific situations and a constructive trust is one of them.” Trusts are useful in estate planning to avoid probate or minimize estate taxes. A commonly used trust is a revocable trust, often used to pass on assets to beneficiaries and keep them outside of […]
“It is also important to realize that it isn’t merely ‘why’ you are updating your will, but ‘when’ you are updating that can make all the difference.” Estate planning lawyers hear it all the time—people meaning to update their will, but somehow never getting around to actually getting it done. The only group larger than […]
“Take, for example, the sad and sordid tax case of Mary Ellen Cranmer Nice vs. United States of America, which would not have existed if an attentive financial advisor hadn’t noticed the large IRA distributions that were allegedly stolen right from under a matriarch’s nose.” The case of Nice vs. U.S. is a dramatic example […]
“Without a proper elder law estate plan, the children’s responsibilities are even more exhausting, stressful and sad.” It is the adult children who oversee aging parents when they need long-term care. They are also the ones who settle estates when parents die. Even if they can’t always come out and tell you, the recent article, […]
