Finding the right attorney to plan your estate can be a significant challenge. It may be the first contact that you will ever have with an attorney. What qualities should you look for in an estate planning attorney? Do not …
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Don’t Forget to Update Your Estate Plan
You completed your estate plan years ago when the kids were little. You even named a guardian for them in the event you could not care for them. The kids are now in their 40s and have children of their …
Young Families Need Planning Too
You are married. You have a couple of young, healthy children. You are still young yourself. Life is good. Why would you have to worry about estate planning? Isn’t that for when you die, or for people older than you? …
Putting your Financial House in Order in April
If you haven’t heard already, April is National Financial Literacy Month. You should expect to hear more about financial and estate planning during this month. The goal of Financial Literacy Month is to “alert, educate, motivate and assist the American …
Reasons to do Estate Planning
As of January 2, 2013, the Federal estate and gift tax exemption amount has been permanently increased. If you pass away in 2013 and your lifetime and after-death transfers are under $5.125 million, your estate passes to your loved ones, …
How to Leave an Inheritance to your Spouse
If you are you married and you plan on leaving anything to your spouse when you are gone, you have lots of options. There are many ways to leave an inheritance to your spouse. If you are not currently or …
New MI Financial Power of Attorney Statute
There are new rules in Michigan for financial powers of attorneys. All financial powers of attorney that you sign after September 30, 2012 must comply with the new rules. If you don’t, your financial power of attorney may not be …
September Savvy EP Drafting State & EP Docs When You Move
You spend your summers in Michigan. The rest of the year, you live out-of-state in Florida or another state. You have your will, financial power of attorney and healthcare power of attorney and maybe a trust. But they were prepared …
Medical Decision Making for Young Adult Children
It is the high school graduation season and now time for my annual column for young adults. If you have any adult high school or college aged children, they are responsible for making their own medical and mental healthcare decisions. …
With Estate Planning Fees You Get What You Pay For – Part II
There are a lot of different types of estate plans being sold out there. It is best that you know what you are buying. In last week’s column, we discussed the three most common types of will estate plans that …