A comprehensive estate plan might include multiple different documents, each of which can protect you in different ways. A will allows you to name a guardian for your children and to designate beneficiaries for your property after you die. This is the most basic...
Estate Planning
Avoid these 3 common estate planning mistakes
Your estate plan enables your family members and others named in the plan to know what you want to do with your assets when you pass away. When you set up a comprehensive estate plan, it also relays your wishes for your care if you become incapacitated. Many people...
The difference between “per stirpes” and “per capita” in your will
As you proceed with developing your estate plan, you’ll learn all sorts of new terms. While the sheer number of them can be overwhelming, it’s important to understand them so that you can be sure that your plan will do what you intend it to do. Two of the terms you...
California living trust vs. last will: Which estate planning tool is right for you?
Living trusts and wills are estate planning tools that California residents can use to determine how their assets are managed and distributed whilst alive as well as after passing on. While you can choose one tool over the other, or use both, it is important that you...
Why don’t people make an estate plan?
One-third of American adults do not have any kind of estate plan, despite almost 60% claiming it was important to have one. That is one of the findings of a recent study by Caring.com. Estate planning professionals have long worried about the number of people who are...
Is it worth holding on to assets until you die?
You may have spent a lifetime building a collection of assets to leave to your children when you die. Yet, if they do not want them, it could be a waste of time. Think about which of your parents' things you wanted when they died. They probably had a lot of stuff of...
What estate planning should you do when expecting a child?
Pregnancy can seem longer than the nine months it actually is. It may progress much more quickly than you expect, though. One important thing to address when expecting a child is meeting with an estate planning attorney. There are multiple reasons why you might want...
Blended families require careful estate planning
People who have children and get remarried need to give careful thought to the best way to ensure that everyone in the blended family gets their fair share of the estate. It isn’t usually sufficient to simply write a will that leaves everything to your spouse because...
Debt is an inheritance your children won’t thank you for
When creating an estate plan, it is crucial to look at your entire financial situation. You need to consider your debts, not only your assets. If you die before you can pay off your debts, it will have implications for your family. What happens to debt when you die?...
Questions to answer when creating a health care power of attorney
As you age, there's a chance that you may not be able to make health care decisions on your own. The same holds true if you suffer a serious injury or are struck down by an illness.And for this reason, it's imperative that you plan for the worst, while always hoping...