Yes, nobody relishes thinking about the day when they will no longer be around. But with a little effort and foresight, you can give your family the ultimate gift: a piece of mind. Here's a quick checklist of estate planning essentials. Not really ready for an estate planning talk around…
"There are no 'do-overs' after you agree to a settlement," says Vickie Adams, a certified financial planner and certified divorce finance analyst in San Pedro, Calif. "After 50, you'll have fewer years to recoup from financial errors, so it's essential to get this right." Here are a few tips for…
Have a plan; either you decide or someone else does. Year-end is a great time to evaluate your estate planning goals! This timely topic was the theme of a recent article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette titled "Holiday season is the best time to update your estate planning." Here are…
Leave it to Beaver? Or do you prefer to leave your estate to someone else? Today’s families are a lot different than Ward and June Cleaver. There are more families today with non-traditional situations than ever before. This makes financial and estate planning all the more important. If your family…
“Why do we care about these perpetual trusts?” Mr. Sitkoff said. “Because there’s a lot of money in them. Billions of dollars is pouring into these jurisdictions.” Perpetual trusts: good or bad? The principle of this tool is up for debate. Perpetual trusts allow trust creators to maintain some control…
Managing an estate can be complicated and overwhelming, but libraries can often be sources of hidden value, and thus should not be ignored. There's always a chance that tucked away in that library are a few rare first editions or hard-to-find antique items. But if you're facing hundreds of volumes…
“Regardless of how much wealth you have,” says Gregory Popera, a private wealth adviser with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, “having some type of estate plan and financial power of attorney are sort of the financial building blocks to make sure your assets go where you want them to go.” Making…
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…
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…