If a Loved One or you have an estate plan, or even part of one, then some team members already are on board via the planning process and likely are actively serving or are nominated in the documents. They can have roles in the testamentary will, trusts, business purchase agreement,…
"The costliest errors are ones we make ourselves, often without realizing how much damage we're doing." "Estate planning is intertwined with the financial plan," a newsmax.com article explained, and it’s no secret that many individuals fail to prepare for retirement. When doing an estate plan, the article offers some sound…
Now is the time for small business owners to evaluate their year-end retirement planning while building a retirement budget line item for next year. A recent article in The (Great Falls MT) Prairie Star, titled “Review estate, tax and retirement planning issues now,” argues that a farm or ranch operation…
Sometimes, a loved one’s estate may include debt. Do you know what to do should if you are the spouse or heir that inherits debt? If you aren’t sure what to do with a loved one’s debts after they pass – or what to tell others to do with your…
Once you're divorced you should immediately create a new estate plan — a will or revocable living trust, a healthcare power of attorney, and a living will ("pull the plug") designee. Read on for more estate planning must-do’s regarding divorce. A recent article in the The Huffington Post, titled “Divorce and…
n nearly every way you could make a mistake — for example, saving too late — you can also make up ground by availing yourself of all resources at your disposal (say, your employer's 401(k) matching program). With that in mind, here’s a list of 28 major retirement pitfalls to…
Legislation allowing Mississippians to place their assets in a trust for up to 360 years passed the state House and is now pending before Gov. Phil Bryant. How long should a trust really last? According to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Mississippi’s House Judiciary Chair Mark Barker said many states…
As Mary Todd Lincoln’s character in “The Widow Lincoln” faces dozens of unpaid bills for home furnishings, clothes and jewelry, she asks, “How will I ever pay these debts? I am nothing. I am no one.” On top of moving out of the White House, mothering her sons and moving…
Blended families without a proper estate plan for wealth transfer could run into additional obstacles not observed by traditional families. For example, state inheritance rules, intestate laws, and conflicts in beneficiary designations could be inconsistent with the will. In addition, a disinheritance of new family members without the knowledge of…
If history is a guide, this coming week nearly half of us will make resolutions seeking to improve some facet of our lives, many of which will be focused on personal finance. If one of your goals for the New Year is to get your financial life in order, here…