A will is one of the most important legal documents you can ever create and sign. With a valid will in place, you can have peace of mind knowing that your assets will be passed down to the right people when you die. To serve its intended purpose, however, your will...
Estate Planning
What to look for in a trustee
When you set up a trust, you also have to pick someone to administer that trust. This person is known as your trustee, and it’s crucial that you choose the right individual. The trust sets up the regulations and rules that have to be followed, but it is the trustee...
A serious diagnosis may mean it’s time for estate planning
There are many different times when you may want to consider making an estate plan. For instance, maybe you just had a child, so you want to set up a trust or pick a guardian. Maybe you just acquired a significant amount of assets – starting a business, buying a...
Worried an inheritance will take away a child’s drive to succeed?
You will sometimes see interviews with excessively wealthy individuals, such as billionaires or multimillionaires, who say that they are not going to leave this overwhelming wealth to their children. They may leave them a small amount or they may leave them nothing at...
The importance of digital estate planning
It is undeniable that the lives of most American adults are increasingly intertwined with the online world. From social media accounts to digital assets like cryptocurrency, each individual’s digital footprint is vast and often of significant value, both financially...
3 examples of family heirlooms to include in an estate plan
When it comes to estate planning, the inclusion of family heirlooms adds a unique layer of significance and complexity. These cherished artifacts not only carry sentimental value but also contribute to the financial and emotional legacy that someone leaves behind....
4 more trust options
A trust is a legal document that can help avoid estate taxes, probate and disputes and ensure assets are distributed to beneficiaries. The grantor can place assets in a revocable trust, which allows the grantor to alter the contents of a trust at any time. When the...
What life events mean you should review your estate plan?
It’s important to review your estate plan periodically. You may not always need to make updates, but they are sometimes necessary to ensure that the estate plan really fits with where your life is at that moment and that it addresses your wishes. To do this, some...
What are the benefits of giving gifts before you pass away?
When many people make an estate plan, they are just thinking about what will happen to their assets after they pass away. They want to make sure that both financial and tangible assets get distributed to family members, although they also plan to keep those assets...
Why you don’t want to rely on California’s next-of-kin law
At the beginning of this year, California enacted a “next-of-kin” law similar to those on the books in the vast majority of states. The law allows medical facilities to designate someone to speak and make decisions for a patient who is incapacitated and unable to...