Do you own your home, other property, or a financial account with someone else, such as a spouse or an adult child? If so, you might be surprised to learn that a common way of owning property could cause problems for your loved ones in the future.
While there...
Creating an estate plan is typically a private matter, not something you share in detail with everyone in your life. After all, what you choose to do with your money and property is your business. Your partner might know what is in your plan, especially if you created it together. But beyond...
Congratulations on your new baby! Becoming a parent is an incredible journey filled with joy, love, and a whole lot of sleepless nights. It is also a time when you start thinking about the future in an entirely new way. You want to ensure that your child is always protected, no matter...
It is a topic no parent wants to think about: What would happen to your children if you were gone? However, facing this question is one of the most loving and powerful things you can do for your kids. If you take no steps to legally nominate a guardian for your minor...
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...
Have you just welcomed a baby to the family? Protecting your newborn goes beyond car seats and babyproofing. Ensure that your child is protected no matter what life brings by creating an estate plan. Establishing an estate plan is one to-do task that many people put off. They may delay this very...
Parents generally try to treat all their children fairly. We often assume that fairness means leaving an equal inheritance to each child. However, “fair” does not always mean “equal.” A thoughtful estate plan considers each child’s unique circumstances to create distributions that truly support their needs.
Here are some...
The United States is in the midst of the largest generational wealth transfer in history. Over the next few decades, baby boomers are expected to pass down an estimated $84 trillion in money and property,[1] around $18–19 trillion of it related to residential real estate.[2]
The idea of one-size-fits-all no longer fits a world where people expect products and services to be tailored to their individual preferences.
The estate planning world, long rooted in tradition, has relied on time-tested tools such as trusts to plan for what happens to a person’s money and property....
If you have been named the person responsible for settling a deceased loved one’s affairs, commonly called an executor or personal representative (if your loved one had no estate plan or had a will) or a successor trustee (if they had a trust), you may find yourself overwhelmed by grief and a...
