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Still Waiting to Update Your Estate Plan?

When the ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin died last year, it was believed that she hadn’t prepared any kind of estate plan, including a last will and testament. However, a few months ago, three handwritten wills were found in her home near Detroit. Two were in a locked closet and one was stuffed beneath the cushions of a couch!

Posted on: October 8, 2019

Dark Side of Medicaid Means You Need Estate Planning

Medicaid recipients over the age of 55 are expected to repay the government for many medical expenses—and states will seize houses and other assets after those recipients die, in order to satisfy the debt.

Posted on: October 7, 2019

Ignoring Beneficiary Designations Is a Risky Business

We are programmed to contribute the “max” to our retirement accounts and we disregard, or do not understand, the pitfalls of an improperly filled-out beneficiary forms.

Posted on: October 4, 2019

Do It Yourself Estate Planning Leads to Bad Outcomes

Thanks to the Internet, everyone has the ability to draft wills, trusts and a variety of other legal documents. Many documents can be produced for less than $100, requiring only a few mouse clicks and filled-in blanks.

Posted on: October 3, 2019

Managing an Aging Parent’s Financial and Legal Life

If elderly parents aren’t good at record-keeping, a family member will need to identify this information and keep it in a place where it can be referenced when needed.

Posted on: October 2, 2019

Estate Planning Is for Everyone, at Every Age

There are milestones in every life. For many, graduations, marriage, children, opening a business and retiring are among these milestones.

Posted on: September 30, 2019

Does My Business Need a Succession Plan?

As a small business owner, you should be thinking about your succession plan. A succession plan—or exit plan—is the strategic transferring of management roles or ownership of the company to others, whether it be a family member, an employee or an outside party.

Posted on: September 26, 2019

What Are The Essential Estate Planning Documents?

The transition to retirement means different things to different people, as does the actual age in which people turn the page to a new chapter in their life. Many factors contribute to this life-altering decision and many emotions are felt–everything from fear, stress and anxiety to the sheer excitement of being able to fulfill lifelong dreams.

Posted on: September 25, 2019

Don’t Forget to Update Your Estate Plan

Are you the type of person who signs their will, sticks it in a drawer and never looks at it again? Or are you constantly updating and making small changes to your will, based on which one of your grandchildren has fallen out of favor?

Posted on: September 25, 2019

Living Together Isn’t as Simple as You Think

For couples over 50, living together has a lot of appeal and is on the rise. In fact, the number of unmarried couples who are 50+ shot up 75% between 2007 and 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Posted on: September 24, 2019