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? …
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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 …
Serving As Guardian
You have been asked to be the guardian of the children of one of your siblings or a close family friend in the event of that person’s incapacity or death. You are flattered that someone would trust his or her …
With Estate Planning Fees You Get What You Pay For – Part I
I regularly get asked, “How much does a will cost?” Or, “How much is a trust?” Well, this is not a simple question to answer because a will or a trust is only a single component in an overall estate …
Newlyweds Need Planning Too
You are about to get married or have just been married. Would you like your fiancé or new spouse to be able to make decisions for you if you became mentally incapacitated as a result of an accident or injury? …
Health Care Powers
I continue to get questions regarding estate planning basics. So I will continue with a discussion about making health care decisions. Have you ever thought about who would make your medical or mental health treatment decisions if you could not …
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 health care …
Medical Decision Making for young Adult Children
If you have any adult high school or college aged children, they are responsible for making their own medical decisions. Children become legal adults at age eighteen when they miraculously gain all the wisdom and insight of adulthood. At age …