Many couples remain lifelong partners without ever getting married. While you may not feel like you need a marriage certificate, if you want to ensure that you and your partner provide for each other after one of you passes away, you need to put an estate plan in...
Estate Planning
The most common reasons for will contests
One of the key components of an estate plan is a will. Through this document, inheritances can be passed on to cherished family members, gifts can be given to charity and guardians can even be named for minor children. For a will to be valid, certain protocols have to...
3 things to leave out of your will
Your will is an important part of a bigger estate plan. It allows you to designate who gets what when you die and name someone as a guardian for your minor children. However, a will isn’t for everything. This document has limits, and some things should be left out....
When can you replace your will’s executor?
While creating your will, one of the most important decisions you must make has to do with who will execute it. Most often, you may task your spouse, adult children or a close confidant with this role. And in instances where you have complex family dynamics or...
Estate planning and your Thrift Savings Plan
An important part of estate planning doesn’t necessarily involve any estate planning documents. It involves designating beneficiaries for your retirement accounts as well as things like investment accounts and life insurance policies. You do that directly on the...
3 reasons you may not want to leave children a direct inheritance
As you start preparing for retirement or review your finances in your golden years, you may derive quite a bit of joy from the idea of passing on some of your wealth to your children when you die. An inheritance could lead to a more comfortable retirement for your...
Selecting the right person to be your health care agent
Among the most important decisions you’ll make as you develop your estate plan are the people who will be your representatives and administrators not only after you’re gone but if you become incapacitated by illness and injury and unable to speak for yourself. Perhaps...
Can you ever be “too young” for estate planning?
One myth that people continue to believe is that you can be too young to do your estate planning. You will often talk to people who are in their 30s and 40s, but they haven’t made an estate plan yet because they think it’s something that only elderly people do. This...
It’s never too late to write your will
Many people go through life without considering what will become of their assets after their death. However, you may have come to realize that your estate can benefit the people around you when you pass away. You may want your assets to go to good and caring hands. If...
Do you need to have a family meeting about your parents’ estate plan?
Are you worried that your parents have not yet made an estate plan? If not, they certainly aren't alone, as most Americans haven't done it. The biggest reason for most people is that they are simply going to do it later and they just haven't gotten to it yet, but this...
