Money

The death of a loved one is one of the most difficult times in a person’s life. Nothing can truly prepare a person for such a loss. However, dealing with the financial stress of frozen bank accounts can exacerbate the stress. Without proper planning, your significant other could struggle to gain access to your accounts. The frustration is especially distressing if the frozen account was the primary source for paying joint or household expenses.
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A guardian is an individual who cares for someone, often a minor child, who needs special protection. Parents can nominate a guardian in their will, but typically a court must confirm and officially appoint the guardian after both parents have passed away. Sometimes the need for a guardian arises when the parents are still alive. For example, if the parents become very ill or are unable to care for the child for some other reason, a court can appoint a person nominated by the parents. If a guardian has not been nominated, the court will appoint a person it believes will act in the child’s best interests, often a family member or friend who is familiar with the child.
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July is National Sandwich Generation Month, a time to honor those who are caring for both their children and their aging parents. This topic is particularly germane at present, as many parents are not only parenting their children but have also spent the last few months homeschooling them. Older children who have lost their jobs or were unable to return to college after spring break due to the coronavirus may now be living at home. At the same time, those parents may already be acting as a caregiver for one or more of their parents who are no longer able to look after themselves, or they may have become more involved in caring for aging parents who are at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19.

Self-Care Is Crucial

Those who are also working—either remotely or outside of the home—have additional responsibilities beyond caregiving.
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Setting money aside for your children’s or grandchildren’s education is a great way to provide for their future. However, it is possible that not all of the money you have set aside will be used for college expenses. For example, your child may receive a large scholarship and will not need to use all the money you have saved, or your grandchild may choose a trade school that is less costly than you expected. Alternatively, your child or grandchild may decide to join the workforce immediately upon graduation. When confronted with this scenario, you may wonder what you can do with the excess money.
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Genealogy has long fascinated many people, and it continues to be studied by those who are interested in discovering who they descended from and what those family members were like. Many of us have gazed at black and white or sepia-tone photos of ancestors whose names we don’t know and wondered about their lives, joys, trials, and accomplishments. Fortunately, today, there are many resources making it much easier to discover information about prior generations of our families.

What constitutes a “large” gift can be relative. That being said, if you are considering giving cash or property to someone, a little bit of planning can really help avoid negative consequences.  This is particularly true if the gifted amounts are over $15,000.00, will be gifted in property, will be gifted on a regular basis, or if the gift givers -- whether parents or grandparents -- hold assets that are over $11 million.

Options for Making “Large” Financial Gifts

There are several options you have available to you and your family should you want to provide a large financial gift to your children or grandchildren.
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When you hear the phrase “estate plan,” you might first think about paperwork. Or your mind might land on some of the uncomfortable topics that estate planning confronts head-on: end-of-life decisions, incapacity, and your family’s legacy from generation to generation. Those subjects hit home for everyone.  But while that could feel like a reason to avoid estate planning, the emotional nature of these decisions is actually a reason to embrace the process with enthusiasm. Here are a few ways in which emotion in estate planning is a good thing: 

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