What Is Legacy Planning and Why Is It Important?

“To ensure a lasting legacy, you need to get your documents in order and have a clear plan for how your wealth will transfer, avoiding taxes and inheritor pitfalls along the way.” Asset distribution is how many estate plans begin, but we can create legacies for generations to come through our estate planning, says Kiplinger […]

human miniature standing over piled coins

“Remember that a will goes through probate, so a husband and wife typically try to avoid it by using joint ownership or beneficiary designations. However, they’re often mistaken by believing the will still controls their estate.” Most people think a will is the most important tool in the estate planning toolbox, but in many instances, […]

Senior couple

“It’s hard to plan for next week, let alone the future, when our environment, the advice from the experts and indeed the outbreak itself, seems to change on a daily basis.” The fear of the unknown and a sense of loss of control is sending many people to estate planning attorney’s offices to have wills, […]

american flags

“When dealing with the emotional pain of the loss of a loved one, family members also have to address daunting administrative tasks.” For most families, the process of estate administration or the probate of a will starts weeks after the death of a loved one.  However, before that time, there are certain steps that need […]

map compass and monocular

“Personal property is a unique category of asset. Even in the simplest after-death distribution, personal property can become a hindrance to final distribution. There are a couple of reasons why.” Creating and probating a last will and testament is rarely a simple task, but one of the most challenging aspects is the distribution of personal […]

Attractive Mixed Race Couple Portrait in the Park

“The Covid-19 has produced a rise in estate planning…but not a large enough one. Most Americans still do not have a last will and testament.” It’s true—many people still believe that they don’t have enough assets so they don’t need a will, or that their money will automatically go to a next of kin. Both […]

Happy old couple

“When do you need your estate plan to ‘go to work’ for you? While you may think the right answer is ‘after I die,’ the actual answer is ‘if I lose the ability to manage my own affairs.’” There are two different types of advance directives, and they have very different purposes, as explained in […]

map compass and monocular

“The inheritance you leave could be eaten away by taxes or given to the wrong person. Here are five tips to avoid that.” It is true that a single person who dies in 2020 could have up to $11.58 million in personal assets and their heirs would not have to pay any federal estate tax. […]

printing calculator

“Prince’s sudden death in 2016 triggered numerous court proceedings. First, probate documents had to be filed in court because Prince died without a will.” Filing probate documents was just the beginning of process that still hasn’t ended the bad news from the Prince estate. He did not have a spouse or children, but Prince had […]

woman looking through the window pane

“If you are caregiving from a distance (you live here and your parent or other loved one is in another state, a distant city or as close as an hour away), it can be even more daunting than doing it in your home.” Trying to coordinate care from a distance becomes a challenge for many, […]