Category Archives: Wills
Some Pointers On Finding New Estate Planning Help
As if moving to a new state wasn’t burdensome enough, relocating almost always means having to find a new estate-planning attorney. An article on the website about.com by wills and estate-planning expert offers some advice to make this part of settling down elsewhere easier. “Are you looking for a new estate planning attorney because… 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 »
PBS Series Offers Entertainment, And Investing Lessons
Sound financial advice is nice, even when it’s the byproduct of a popular television show. As a recent article on CNN pointed out, there are valuable lessons to be learned from “Downton Abbey,” the PBS Masterpiece program that focuses on British aristocrats in the early 1900s. The entire premise of the ongoing series, in… 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 »
Wills Are Vital, But Other Documents Are Important, As Well
When it comes to estate planning, the will is far and away the most important document, but it’s not the only one individuals should have ready. Last Will And Testament (Photo credit: Ken_Mayer) A recent Forbes.com article points out that the prudent planner will also prepare such documents as beneficiary forms, financial and health… Read More »
Changing will provisions at the end can be problematic
John Grisham’s latest bestselling novel revolves around a wealthy man crafting a handwritten will that completely cuts out his family and leaves the fortune to his housekeeper. (Photo credit: Ken_Mayer) The reason the man did this just prior to taking his own life, other than that his two adult children are fairly odious people,… Read More »
Preparing for the inevitable can be a kindness to others
Along with taxes, we all face one other grim inevitability: We’re all going to die. No one but tax attorneys and IRS agents likes to think about the former, and possibly only morticians routinely contemplate the latter, but the prudent person sets aside money to pay taxes and wise individuals make some preparations for… Read More »