Yes, it is old-school, but if your family is on the traditional side, headed up by a breadwinner dad who runs the finances, then you need to make plans to ensure that your family will be okay, if something should happen to you. This advice also applies to mothers who…
We hope to enjoy out golden years, relaxing after decades of working and raising children. However, as we age, the likelihood of experiencing health issue increase. That includes Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Learning that a loved one has Alzheimer’s or other diseases that require a great deal…
With about half of all marriages ending in divorce, second marriages and blended families have become the new normal in many communities. Estate planning for a blended family requires three-dimensional thinking for all concerned. An article from The University Herald, “The Challenges and Complexities of Estate Planning for Blended Families,…
Unless you are raised in a family that talks about money, values and planning, starting a conversation with elderly parents about the same topics can be a little awkward. However, it is necessary. In a perfect world, we’d all have our estate plans created when we started working, updated when…
After years of enjoying the deductions for putting money into retirement accounts, it’s always an unpleasant stunner when people realize they have to pay taxes on their withdrawals. Or do they? Converting a 401(k) to a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) will eliminate the need to pay taxes on withdrawals,…
“By the time Groucho was an old man, however, he experienced significant problems in his daily activities, medical decision-making and the management of his estate. He suffered from elements of dementia, a heart attack and congestive heart failure, falls resulting in a broken hip, and after that hip was repaired,…
Social Security disability benefits are based on average lifetime earnings. How severe the disability is, or what the household income is, has nothing to do with the amount of money that will be paid. If you have your annual Social Security statement, you can see what you’ll probably get in…
It used to be unheard of, a divorce after fifty, sixty or even seventy years old. However, gray divorce is now becoming more common. There are pitfalls to be aware of, before taking this big step. According to the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, younger…
Estate planning attorneys and CPAs all keep an eye on letter rulings to see if IRS decisions have any bearing on their own client’s situations. In this case, a taxpayer is setting up a revocable trust and wants to use a Charitable Lead Annuity Trust known as a CLAT. A…
Here’s a legacy that you may not want to leave for your family to pay: your credit card debt. It doesn’t go away when you die. Three out of four consumers die in debt, says Yahoo Finance’s recent article, “What Happens to Credit Card Debt When You Die?” That means…