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What are the Biggest Estate Planning Errors to Avoid?

It is estimated that more than 50 percent of all Americans don’t have a will, and in our Future File business, we have estimated that less than 10 percent of the U.S. population has a complete legacy and wishes planning system.

Posted on: November 15, 2019

Don’t Ask Heirs to Guess What You Wanted—Have an Estate Plan

Passing away without an estate plan is a huge mistake that can tie up your estate for years in probate.

Posted on: November 14, 2019

Sharing Legal Documents and Passwords

Safe and shareable password storage is vital in today’s computerized world. The old solution–writing down passwords on paper set next to your keyboard–is not safe, not adequate and not shareable.

Posted on: November 13, 2019

Do Name Changes Need to Be Reflected in Estate Planning Documents?

The fact is people’s names often change. People get married and divorced or sometimes just legally change their names.

Posted on: November 12, 2019

What Will New Acts of Congress Mean for Stretch IRAs?

I am concerned about the SECURE and RESA acts currently being considered in Congress. If either of them passes, my children will lose the inherited stretch IRA ability and face a much higher tax bill upon my demise.

Posted on: November 11, 2019

Why A Health Care Power of Attorney Makes Sense

If someone has lost capacity to execute legal documents and has no power of attorney in place or has a power of attorney that is no longer usable (for example, if the named agents are deceased), a guardianship proceeding may be the only recourse.

Posted on: November 8, 2019

What Do I Need to Know About an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust?

An irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) is a structure that cannot in any way be rescinded, amended, or modified, after its initial creation.

Posted on: November 7, 2019

Steps to Take as a Parent’s Condition Takes a Turn

My father only designated my mom as an agent on power of attorney forms, and they have not been updated in many years. Where do you think we should go from here?

Posted on: November 6, 2019

You Can Protect Pets after You’re Gone

For most people, pets aren’t just animals–they’re the excited ‘hello’ when we get home from a long day of work, our jogging partners, our best friends and part of the family.

Posted on: November 5, 2019