When most people think about estate planning, they often focus on the legal and financial aspects, such as wills, trusts, and asset distribution. While these elements are undoubtedly crucial, another dimension of estate planning often goes overlooked — the personal touch that reflects your values, wishes, and legacy. You can add...
Category: Estate Planning
Why Estate Planning Should Be One of Your New Year’s Resolutions
As we enter the new year, it’s a great time to add estate planning to your list of resolutions. Creating or updating your estate plan is a strategic move that allows you to protect your assets, reduce unnecessary expenses, and provide clarity for your loved ones. Here are some reasons why...
What Are Pooled Income Trusts?
Retirement and estate planning is essential, but with the seemingly endless array of investment vehicles to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. If you want to benefit yourself and your favorite charity, you might consider a type of fund called a pooled income trust. Here’s what...
How to Navigate Estate Planning With Property in Multiple States
If you have the money and opportunity to purchase multiple properties, it’s a great investment strategy. Barring disasters like economic crashes, you’re likely to see a good return on investment, especially if you can afford to wait for favorable market conditions to sell. You can also use rental properties to offset expenses...
When Is a Non-Grantor Trust Useful?
Good financial and estate planning can help you care for your family after you pass away or become incapacitated. A skilled estate planning lawyer helps you learn what kinds of legal protections you need to ensure that most of your assets go where you want them to and not to the government...
Managing an Estranged Child in Your Estate Plan: Tips and Suggestions
Families are far from perfect. Some children have closer relationships with their parents than their siblings. This is normal and healthy based on each child’s needs.
But in some situations, a parent may have no relationship with a child. Estrangements like this happen for many reasons ranging from personal...
When to Consider a Charitable Lead Annuity Trust for Estate Planning
A charitable lead annuity trust provides high-net-worth individuals with a structure for donating to charity and giving a gift to another person or entity. Importantly, the gift recipient does not need to be a charitable organization. Thus, you can donate to your favorite hospital foundation and leave a gift to your nephew...
Estate Planning for Blended Families: A Complete Guide
Estate planning is critical to ensure that your assets and property are distributed according to your wishes after you pass away or become incapacitated. But those with blended families often experience unique estate planning challenges.
This is especially true when a blended family includes children, stepchildren, or grandchildren....
The Right Way (and Wrong Way) to Cancel Your Timeshare
As the new year approaches, you and others are getting into the mindset of “out with the old, in with the new.” You might be actively looking for ways to discard from your life the things that no longer serve your purposes, such as a timeshare.
What once may...
5 Reasons Why You Should Review and Update Your Estate Plan
When it comes to estate planning, consistency is the key to success. That means you should review and update your estate plan in accordance with certain changes in your life. But how will you know when those changes occur? To help you figure out what frequency works best for you, here are...