Wills and Estate Planning
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Being Sure Your Will Does What You Want for your Estate Planning
As we roll into the last months of the year, many people take time to update their financial estate planning and put their financial houses in order. Revising or writing a will is an important part of the Estate Planning process. A will can decide who receives your property, on what terms they receive it, […]
Choosing Executors Carefully, a Lesson from Disney
I regularly point out that naming the wrong people as executors or trustees can ruin even the best estate plan. Most people put little thought into these decisions, often casually naming their oldest adult child or sibling. They don’t realize the burden of being an executor or trustee, even for relatively simple estates. This article […]
Avoid Unintentionally Disinheriting Your Spouse in your Wills and Trusts
Many people don’t realize it, but their wills leave nothing outright to their spouse. Before the current high federal exempt amount was established, a standard will stated that a portion of the estate equal to the federal exempt amount was left in a bypass trust or other trust that benefitted the surviving spouse for life […]
How to Make Your Estate Planning Personal: Your Legacy and Ethical Will
Your estate plan doesn’t have to be only a bunch of documents drafted by lawyers. While the legal documents are essential, they don’t have to be the complete pack-age. You can wrap it up by adding some personal touches to the plan. This touch often enhances both the plan and your legacy. You also might […]
Why a Living Will Is Not Enough for Estate Planning
Every few years the media latches on to a case of someone in a coma or similar medical distress. The family members and doc-tors don’t agree on what the next step should be, generating the conflict, controversy, and story. The lesson from the media always is: Be sure you have a Living Will. The answer […]
8 Estate Planning Steps to Crafting the Right Will for You
You don’t really write your will, and most people shouldn’t try. But you can be sure the will is done correctly. In this visit we discuss how to shepherd your will through the estate planning process. It doesn’t take much to tarnish a gem of an estate plan, and with it your legacy. A misplaced […]
Reconsidering Living Wills
A good estate plan includes a lot more than will. Among the documents to be included are medical care documents. The traditional document is a living will. But I’ve downplayed the importance of living wills for years. A better document is the medical care proxy or power of attorney. There are a number of problems […]
What Your Will Can and Can’t Do for Your Estate Planning
A will is one of the most powerful documents you can write. A will can decide what happens to valuable property, even billions of dollars worth. It can decide who becomes the guardian of minor children, who controls a business or other entity, and how much of your wealth goes to the government. The will […]
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Estate Tax
Executors and Trustees
Family Limited Partnerships
Gifts and Gift Giving
Grandchildren
Heirs, Beneficiaries, and Children
IRAs & Your Estate
Power of Attorney
Probate
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