Month: February 2020

In researching your estate planning, you may have heard that some people choose to leave a specific heir just a single dollar. It sounds controversial and almost insulting, but is there a reason that people opt to do this?  Usually, people do it because they intend to...

Your health care proxy is an advanced medical directive that assigns a person you choose to make medical decisions for you if you no longer care for yourself. This proxy can be anyone you want to control those decisions, but you should choose someone who understands...

Contemplating your own mortality can be difficult, especially when you’re worried about how you’re going to afford the long-term care you may need. Unfortunately, the costs associated with long-term care continue to rise at a steady clip, generally outpacing the...

Individuals often cite their young age or lack of assets as why they don't engage in estate planning. Death has no boundaries, however. It can occur to anyone at any time. A will can ensure that your assets seamlessly pass on to your heirs as per your wishes. Setting...

The unfortunate reality is that families sometimes find themselves at odds during the estate administration process. They don’t agree on the process, they think other people are only looking out for themselves and they’re already going through an emotional time --...

As we enter a new year, many people are thinking about doing their estate planning. This is the time of year when we often set goals and reassess what we want to accomplish. If creating an estate plan is on your list, it’s time to carefully consider exactly what you...

Most parents don’t realize that they’re going to have a child with special needs. If they do, that just means that they have to take extra precautions. This is particularly true in the case of estate planning. With estate planning, it is essential to understand which...

When you’re in charge of an estate or trust, you have a big job and a lot of worries -- not the least of which may be dealing with problematic heirs and beneficiaries who are often impatient or hostile. What kinds of problems can you encounter with an estate’s heirs?...

For most people, estate planning is difficult enough without adding their children to the mix. However, depending on your circumstances, it may make sense to talk to your children about estate planning and the impact it could have on them in the future. What factors...

Estate planning typically focuses on leaving your assets to your heirs. There are other areas, to be sure, such as advance medical planning, but the main focus is on assets. One of the largest assets that anyone owns is their home, so they have to decide how to leave...