Once someone dies there is much work to be done. These are a few suggestions to help you get administratively organized for death. To make death easier for all involved, it’s critical to plan some of the issues related to death far in advance with some contemplation to make everything…
Where there’s a will, there’s a way—and sometimes an ugly family feud. Families are consumed with grief when a loved one dies, but unfortunately certain legal and organizational tasks that arise can’t be ignored or put off for long. But you can ease the burden on your loved ones by…
By putting ownership in trust and designating a knowledgeable person to oversee an individual’s firearms, the chance of such issues arising is minimized. Plus, paperwork requirements for transferring guns are streamlined and the trust prevents information about a valuable collection that might be of interest to thieves from being made…
Recently, I outlined a basic estate plan for a couple with children. Now, a reader in California asks: “What about marrieds without kids?” Married without children? What essential estate planning tasks should you focus on? The Wall Street Journal says, in an article titled “Estate Planning for Childless Couples,” that you…
State and federal estate and inheritance tax rates are what drive most people’s estate plans, but now that tax rates are falling and exemptions rising in many jurisdictions, how much people will leave their heirs isn’t what keeps them awake at night anymore. What they really worry about is how…
Establishing a will is a vital part of protecting your financial legacy and there is no benefit in delaying it. Here are six often-avoided questions to help you get over your fear of wills and establish one for your family. There are no silly questions when it comes to your…
To prevent you and your family members from enduring more stress, misery or confusion than necessary, here are five estate-planning booboos to avoid … Think you have the right ideas when it comes to your Houston estate? You may want to watch out for some common "don'ts" in the estate…
“Income-tax rates are going up so it becomes more expensive for a grantor to maintain the grantor trust status of a trust they’ve set up,” says Lynn Halpern Lederman, managing director and senior fiduciary counsel – Northeast Region at Bessemer Trust, a New York firm that oversees $97.5 billion. A…
A well-planned estate is a wonderful legacy you can leave your heirs — instead of untangling a messy estate, they can follow concrete steps, allowing them to take care of business while mourning their loved one. Document gathering can be overwhelming when it come to a loved one's passing. What…
As 2014 dwindles down, it’s time to consider your year-end planning. The holidays will be here before you know it, and that means the end of 2014 is near. Have you started your year-end planning yet? A recent article in the Physician's Money Digest, titled "10 Financial Planning Tips for…