You have dabbled in painting, pottery, woodworking or crafting most of your life. It has been your primary hobby. You are getting pretty good at it. You have done a few craft shows and art hops. You have made a …
Articles
Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst
When life happens, are you prepared? Do you just react to life events or do you have a plan in place? By being proactive, you can soften the adverse effects of unexpected events. Last week, we had an unanticipated event …
Why Would I Want to Go Through Probate
I had two clients come through our offices last week in which both plans are designed and intended to go through probate after death. For most of our clients, avoiding the time, cost and lack of privacy of probate court …
Should You Cosign or Guarantee that Loan?
You love your family, your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. You do not like to see them struggle or have a difficult time with life. Your parenting/grandparenting instincts kick in and you just want to “help” them out. It is …
You Thought Your Trust-Owned Home Was Insured
When you signed your trust, you felt pretty good about having it done. You felt even better when you deeded your home into your trust. You breathed a sigh of relief because your trust now owns your home and you …
Protecting Special Needs Inheritances
I had a client come in this week who was the Social Security Payee for her disabled daughter. Her daughter was on Social Security Disability, Medicare and Medicaid. The father of her daughter recently passed away and was leaving a …
Putting your Financial House in Order
If you haven’t heard already, April is National Financial Literacy Month. It is a great time to pay particular attention to financial education. According to a 2017 US Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, 46%, or nearly half of American workers …
A Few Words in a Deed Can Make a Huge Difference
We see family properties transferred from generation to generation all the time. Sometimes the family attempts to transfer the property on their own. Other times, they use an attorney to draft a deed, but do not provide the attorney any …
Social Security Myths
Last week, I attended the State Bar of Michigan Elder Law and Disability Rights Section 16th Annual Spring Conference in Plymouth, Michigan. One of the presenters at the conference was Daniel D. McHugh, a Certified Financial Planner® and Certified Public …
Providing for the Not-So-Secret Life of Pets
It is estimated that 500,000 of the 4 million cats and dogs that are euthanized each year in the U.S., come to the shelters because they have outlived their owners or their owners’ ability to care for them. Oftentimes, these …