Avoid These Common and Expensive Mistakes: How to Leave Assets to Minor Children
You love your children and want to ensure that they are always taken care of. The desire to provide for them may also be shared by their grandparents, aunts, and uncles. However, when leaving money and property to minor children, even the best intentions can lead to big problems. Common mistakes can
Do I Need a Will or a Trust?
Yes, everyone needs a will, a trust, or both. These important tools ensure that your legacy will be carried out according to your wishes and allow you to provide for loved ones after your passing. A properly prepared trust can also help avoid probate, which is a lengthy, public, and often expensive
Estate Planning Truths: Debunking Common Misconceptions
Estate planning often feels complex, leading many people to rely on assumptions that can have devastating consequences for their loved ones and their legacy. From who can make decisions for you to whether you need an estate plan, common myths can stand between you and a secure future. Let’s debunk t
When a Trustee Becomes a Burden: Knowing When to Fire Them
The title of trustee implies that this position should be held by someone you find trustworthy, and for good reason. Serving as a trustee of a trust carries significant responsibility and duty not just to you as the trust’s creator but also to the beneficiaries who depend on accurate, faithful admin
12 Estate Planning Blunders You Cannot Afford to Make
12 Estate Planning Blunders You Cannot Afford to Make Many people believe that a simple will is all they need to accomplish their goals for the future. However, a flawed estate plan can create just as many headaches, heartaches, and expenses for your loved ones as having no plan. Life changes, laws
3 Simple Ways to Avoid Probate Costs
The bad news: When a person dies owning property in their sole name without a beneficiary, their loved ones will have to go through a court-supervised process called probate to transfer the property out of the deceased person’s name and into the name of intended beneficiaries or heirs at law. Going
While You Are Working on Your Golf Game, Don’t Forget to Work on Your Estate Plan
The course stretches out around you, lush and perfectly manicured. You step up to the ball, take a few practice swings, and inhale the morning air. It is a shot you have made hundreds of times—but, as with golf and your estate plan, there’s no guarantee you’ll get it right every time. Golf, like lif
How to Choose a Conservator for Yourself
Every day we make hundreds of decisions for ourselves—from what to eat for breakfast to where to vacation. But what happens if you cannot make decisions for yourself? Appointing a conservator for yourself means deciding who you want making day-to-day decisions on your behalf. If you have recently cr
Why a Trust for Your Child Should Mature with Your Child
From the moment a child is born, a parent feels an instinctive drive to protect and nurture. We childproof our homes, carefully choose schools, offer guidance through adolescence, support their careers, and watch with pride as they start their own lives. The desire to be there for them extends beyon
Who Needs an Estate Plan?
If you’re wondering who needs an estate plan, the answer is simple: you do. Why? Because everyone age 18 and older needs one. It doesn’t matter whether you’re old or young, have built up considerable wealth, or are just entering adulthood—you need a written plan to control what happens to the things