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…
Family caregivers face many details every day and estate planning may not be a top priority amidst the day-to-day caregiving tasks. However, there are many things caregiving expert Amy Goyer wished she would have asked before her mom and sister passed away.She says that it’s harder for her to feel…
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…
The sad truth is that most of us — some 70% of adult Americans — have neglected to write a will. Some think their assets are just too puny to worry about, others worry that the costs of writing a “last will and testament” are too high. But wills aren’t…
The viewers of this high-end PBS costume drama, which takes place about a century ago, could very likely be your clients' demographic. Look at who's a top corporate sponsor: Viking River Cruises, which told The New York Times that “our demographic is affluent Baby Boomers 55+.” It's a big group:…
Accounting for the possibility of your own and your loved one’s eventual mental incapacity is a key part of any estate plan. If your loved one appears to be showing signs of diminishing mental acuity, ask if he or she has the proper documents in place. If so, find out…
Failure to do so — or to alert all relevant parties to the changes — could result in certain assets and benefits unintentionally going to your former spouse or his or her family upon your death. A MarketWatch article, titled “Just divorced? Don’t forget to separate your estate plans,” shares…
Ernie Banks died on January 23rd at age 83 from a heart condition. Interestingly, his death certificate listed dementia as a “significant condition contributing” to his death. Why is that important? Well, three months before he died, Banks signed a new set of estate planning documents, including a power of…
Dr. Richard Grossman amassed his fortune as the founder of the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, one of the first to use a hyperbaric chamber to prevent infections in burn victims and speed their recovery. He retired from his medical practice in 2013. Lawyers for his children and widow…