I’ll admit, deciding how to choose a guardian for your kids isn’t a lot of fun. Who wants to think about a situation where their young children are left to mourn their parents and live with friends or relatives? Nevertheless, choosing a guardian to raise your children and manage their inheritance is a crucial piece of an estate plan if your family includes a minor child. If you don’t do it, you leave the decision to the court. U.S. News and World Report’s recent article “How

With most bank and investment customers receiving financial statements electronically instead of on paper these days, your estate plan should include providing your executor or trustee with your important passwords when you die. Kiplinger’s recent story, “Your Estate Plan Isn’t Complete Without Fixing the Password Problem,” says that having online access to investments is a great convenience for us. We can monitor bank balances, conduct stock trades, transfer funds and many o

There are many reasons to have a Living Trust. Living trusts (also called revocable trusts and revocable living trusts) are a great estate planning option for people who own real estate or any significant investments, for those with more complicated family situations (including concerns of an heir who may challenge their estate plan), those with concerns of diminished capacity in later years, or those who simply value privacy over their affairs and want to ensure a smooth and

Estate planning is a very personal process. If you’re childless, it’s actually much more important to have an estate plan than you might realize. When a person has no children or close relatives (other than perhaps a spouse), the decisions needed to create an estate plan can be overwhelming. Kiplinger’s recent article, “No Children? Why You Still Need an Estate Plan,” provides some ideas: Incapacity Planning Documents Everyone should have an advance healthcare directive and a

Estate planning is something new parents need to put at the top of their must do list. I know you may be sleep-deprived, overwhelmed, and frazzled. But don’t let that become an excuse to put off your estate planning. Having a child dramatically changes one’s estate plan and makes having that plan all the more necessary, says ThinkAdvisor’s recent article, “5 Legacy Planning Basics for New Parents.” Create a checklist—and set attainable dates to complete the items. Here are fi

More than 50% of Americans don’t have a will, according to a 2017 survey by Caring.com. A U.S. News & World Report’s article asks “Should You Make a Free Will Online?” According to the article, before writing your will or using an online service, you need to know the legal requirements in your area. In many instances, this is best left to a legal professional in your state. There are plenty of online tools that will help you create a will. However, before clicking on a websit

Updating your estate plan after a divorce should be at the top of your must do list. Forbes’ recent article, “9 Things You Need To Know About Estate Planning After Divorce” suggests that, if your divorce was finalized in 2018, prior to the effective date of the new rules providing that alimony is no longer tax deductible, it’s time to revise your estate plan. It’s also good idea for those people who divorced in prior years and never updated their estate plans. Let’s look at s

Estate planning is fairly easy to do. That said, it is also very easy not to do (as evidenced by the statistics on the subject). Therefore, it is helpful to understand the reasons why putting together your estate plan is so important.  Awareness of the importance of estate planning can help propel you into action. Investopedia’s recent article, “4 Reasons Estate Planning Is So Important,” says you should consider the following four reasons why you should have an estate plan.