There is a common misconception that only crooks or the super wealthy need asset protection. In reality, everyday people should have asset protection planning. Comprehensive estate planning can protect you from each of these dangers that otherwise may cause the loss of some or all of your estate: Spendthrift Beneficiaries: Studies show that we do [...]
Is Your Estate Plan as Stale as Last Week’s Ham Sandwich? 5 Reasons to Update Your Estate Plan Estate plans are almost magical: they allow you to maintain control of your assets, yet protect you should you become incapacitated. They take care of your family and pets. And, if carefully crafted, they reduce fees, taxes, [...]
Drafting your own will or using a form that you purchased online to create a will, might seem like a good idea that will save you money. However, those wills often fail to do much more than create large legal bills in probate. Wills often sound like simple legal documents. In a sense, they are. [...]
If you receive an inheritance, it should not put you in a worse position than you were before. That happens all too often. A common myth about people who inherit wealth is that it brings them financial security and they no longer need to worry about money. However, as is the case with people who [...]
If you want to be remembered for charitable giving, then you should get started with an estate plan. At this time of year, it can seem like giving to charity is something done with little forethought. It can require no more than dropping loose change in a bell ringer's bowl at the grocery store or [...]
A survey reveals the overall rate of dementia in the U.S. is declining, but the reasons are not clear. It has long been expected that as more and more Americans lived into older age and continued to suffer from obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol, the percentage of the population with dementia would increase. Some very [...]
When an elderly parent is approaching the end of life, the ability of the family to come together and agree on treatment and care is vital to ease the parent's suffering. The last thing that most end of life patients want to deal with, is a family feud over the patient’s medical treatment and care. [...]
A new study suggests that the total costs from elder abuse in the U.S. continue to rise at an alarming rate. Elder abuse is a serious problem in the U.S. This has been known for a long time. As more people live longer while suffering from some form of cognitive impairment due to age or [...]
When you go to an estate planning attorney you expect that what you tell the attorney will be protected by attorney-client privilege. However, that might not always be the case. Attorney-client privilege is one of the most important legal doctrines in the U.S. It allows people to be open and honest with their attorneys without [...]
Roughly half of Americans will pass away without estate plans even if they know they should have one. Why do people not make plans they know they should make? You have heard time and time again that if you do not have an estate plan, then you do not get to decide what happens to [...]