Category Archives: Estate Planning
Leaving Assets To a Minor Can Be Tricky
Samuel Johnson once said, “Hell is paved with good intentions.” He might have been talking about what can sometimes happen when people seek to leave assets to minor children, as was pointed out on the website estateplanning.com. “Every parent wants to make sure their children are provided for in the event something happens to… Read More »
Power Of Attorney Valuable, But Subject To Abuse
Most people turn to family, friends or even neighbors when they feel a need to grant powers of attorney to someone to act on their behalf. That can, sadly, be a serious mistake, accord to a report on the website marketwatch.com. “Statistics on power of attorney abuse are hard to come by, but experts… Read More »
Tax Law Revisions Allow Couples To Say ‘I Love You’ In Estates
Time was, one from Column A and one from Column B and a couple’s estate planning was pretty much a done deal. Times change. According to a recent article on the investment website Morningstar.com, changes in tax laws may have rendered an estate planning approach made famous by actor Humphrey Bogart obsolete. “For decades,… Read More »
End Of Life Control Possible With Some Advance Preparation
No one wants to contemplate his or her incapacity or even death, but everyone should. “Who speaks for you if you are not able to speak for yourself?” begins a recent article on PBS “News Hour” story . “Who determines what kind of care you want at the end of life, how your finances… Read More »
Divorce Should Trigger Automatic Estate Update
Divorce is often the most major disruption people will experience in their lives. It need not also disrupt things after their deaths. “If you have just gotten divorced, you may be focused on getting on with your life,” notes a recent story in The Wall Street Journal by Liz Moyer. “But make sure you… Read More »
Irrevocable Trust Could Have Saved Fuss Over Novelist’s Estate
The late Tom Clancy’s novels showed he had a remarkable grasp of military strategy. His muddled estate shows he did not bring the same kind of acumen to his own personal financial affairs, according to a recent article on the website insurancenewsnet.com. Clancy passed away in Baltimore on Oct. 1, 2013. He was 66…. Read More »
Parents, Children Need To Have That Other ‘Talk’
When it comes to parent-child relationships, “the talk” isn’t only from mom and dad to their offspring, and it doesn’t only deal with the facts of life. As noted in an article by Jane Bryant Quinn in the January AARP Bulletin, an important communication among family members involves financial matters. “What should you tell… Read More »
For Estate Planning, Checking A List Is Basic Foundation
Two things tend to prevent many people who should do so from making an estate plan. One is that few feel they have the necessary wealth to bother. The other is that, of necessity, it forces people to contemplate the end of their lives. Almost everyone has sufficient belongings and holdings to make an… Read More »
Estate Planning Also Has Its Trends
Estate planning, like pretty much everything else in life, is subject to trends, as pointed out recently by the website wealthmanagement.com. The article serves as another means of advising that estate plans are far from static, but must keep up with changing times and changing laws. The website article focused on four of these… Read More »
Estate Planning Not A One-And-Done Deal
Once an estate plan is completed, there’s no resting on one’s laurels. http://gty.im/143175981 “There is a sense of accomplishment when an estate plan is executed,” according to an article this past summer in Forbes. “In fact, it’s quite common for people to sign documents and file them away for safekeeping and forget about them…. Read More »