When you hear the phrase “estate plan,” you might first think about paperwork. Or your mind might land on some of the uncomfortable topics that estate planning confronts head-on: end-of-life decisions, incapacity, and your family’s legacy from generation to generation. Those subjects hit home for everyone and may create uncomfortable...
We know it’s hard. Thinking about someone else raising your children stops us all in our tracks. It feels crushing and too horrific to consider. But you must. If you don’t, a stranger will determine who raises your children if something happens to you - your child’s guardian could be...
While most proactive individuals know the importance of having a well-rounded estate plan, many people don't know that a will alone is not enough to avoid court. Most people who reach old age come to a point at which they are no longer in a position to handle all of their...
Every one of us receives and passes on an inheritance. The inheritance may not be an accumulation of earthly possessions or acquired riches, but whether we realize it or not, our choices, words, actions, and values will impact someone and form the heritage we hand down. — Ben Hardesty Successful estate...
While you are alive, your assets are cared for in exactly the way you want, but do you know who will take care of things after you pass away? During the estate planning process, you will be asked to choose a fiduciary agent to serve on your behalf. Trustees, personal...
When a loved one suffers from a mental illness, estate planning takes on a whole other meaning. Who will care for them when you are gone, and how? One small comfort can be knowing that your trust can take care of them through thick and thin. Let’s explore a few...
Advice columnist Ann Landers once observed that “love is friendship that has caught fire.” If that’s true, there are thousands of ways for that blaze to unfold. For many Americans, such devotion and passion do not need to be neatly formalized as marriage. Yet while the love and commitment life partners...
Many people put their estate plan on their to-do list as a one-time project: “Create estate plan.” or “Meeting with lawyer 10:30 a.m. Thursday for estate plan.” Thinking of your estate plan as a single project or task to complete and move off your list is a common approach – but...
One misconception people have about life insurance is that naming beneficiaries is all you have to do to ensure the benefits will be available for a surviving spouse, children, or other intended beneficiary. Life insurance is an important estate planning tool, but without certain protections in place, there's no guarantee that your spouse...
Once you have determined that you need a will, gathering the information that will be needed for proper drafting is not usually difficult. A will preparation checklist can ensure that your will properly addresses all your needs. Remember that if you die without a will, a probate court will have no way...