Your estate plan was written to reflect your situation at a specific point in time –  and – as we all know – our lives continually change, unfolding in ways we might not have anticipated. Just like you meet with your doctor, financial advisor, or CPA on a regular basis, you need to...

When it comes to estate planning, you probably think of wills and trusts. But there are three other estate planning documents you should think about to make your plan complete:

A Living Will A Healthcare Directive, also called an Advance Directive, Medical or Healthcare Power of Attorney, or Designation of Healthcare SurrogateA Financial Power...

Estate planning is an important and everlasting gift you can give your family. And setting up a smooth inheritance isn't as hard as you might think. - Suze Orman

After working diligently for decades to achieve your financial goals, you understandably want to preserve your gains and leave an enduring legacy to the...

How Adding a Trust Protector Can Help You and Your Family

You probably remember the cast of characters in your estate plan.

You were the creator of your trust, known as the grantor, settlor, or trustmaker.The trustee controls the assets in the trust. For most revocable trusts, that’s...

A brief look at statistics reveals that family structure has dramatically changed over time and that there’s an astonishing variety of family structures out there. Everything ranging from the “traditional” nuclear family to blended families of step-siblings and half-siblings headed by parents in a second or later marriage.

Most of us want to...

As you assess your goals for the year ahead, take a moment to review your legacy planning. You’ve hopefully already handled a few key pieces—set up and funded a trust, signed a will, created a power of attorney, etc.

But does your plan offer you and your family the greatest possible protection for...

As Valentine’s Day brings heart-shaped chocolate boxes and roses by the dozen into your imagination, seize the moment to learn about the drawbacks of “I love you” wills and introduce yourself to the estate planning move that’s actually going to ensure you do well by your loved ones: a lifetime beneficiary trust.

Rise...

There’s no one-size-fits-all estate plan, but any robust one will protect your privacy, free you from court interference, help you protect and manage your assets, save you money on taxes, and enable you to name the people you trust the most to act on your behalf.

While plenty of estate planning deals with...

 

Community property trusts can save your family tens of thousands of dollars in capital gains taxes, and that’s just one of their many benefits. This lesser-known strategy isn’t right for everyone, but for households that can make the most of it, it’s a planning tactic that could have a huge impact on keeping...

Estate plans evolve. Or at least they should. Any plan that fails to achieve your goals and doesn’t match your current financial and family circumstances is out of date and is in need of an overhaul. We can help you revitalize the obsolete aspects of your plan and get you back on track...