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An irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) is a structure that cannot in any way be rescinded, amended, or modified, after its initial creation.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

How Do I Calculate My Executor’s Fee?

My parents died five months apart. I am the executor. How is the executor fee calculated fairly?

Posted on: November 4, 2019

Planning for Care in Advance

Perhaps one of the most difficult conversations you'll have as an adult child, is talking about end of life preparations with your parent. For many seniors, this conversation is as hard as the one about having to move to a full-time care facility.

Posted on: November 1, 2019

How Can Beneficiary Designations Wreck My Estate Plan?

Beneficiary designations are a crucial part of estate planning, yet they are often overlooked. Once you have signed your estate planning documents, you need to make sure that your beneficiary designations are consistent with the rest of your estate plan.

Posted on: October 31, 2019

What Can You Tell Me About a Special Needs Trust?

If you have a loved one who deals with chronic illness or a disability of some kind, you want to be able to keep supporting them after you’re gone. However, you don’t want to disrupt their ability to collect funds from programs like Medicaid or disability payments. In these situations, you can use a special needs trust.

Posted on: October 30, 2019