A power of attorney is an essential component of any estate plan, and ensuring you have one suited for your needs will protect your interests and can help avoid many potential legal issues. However, despite this, some people express doubts regarding the concept of a power of attorney. Here are five important reasons you should get a power of attorney:
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Creating your estate plan is an essential part of preparing for your retirement and your end-of-life plans, but many people do not even know where to start. Ensuring you have what you need for your estate plan will help to protect you and your loved ones from the legal and financial complications that can arise as you grow older, and after you pass away. Here are five things you should consider for your estate plan:
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No matter how healthy you are, there is always the risk that you will become incapacitated and unable to make healthcare decisions on your own. However, this is especially a concern for the elderly, and those with long-term health problems that may worsen at any time. That is why, if you are putting an estate plan together, you should seriously consider creating a healthcare proxy so that your wishes are honored if these situations arise.
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Estate planning is an essential part of helping people to deal with troubles that are likely to arise later in their lives, as well as issues that may come up after they pass away. However, not everyone understands estate planning, and some people have a serious lack of understanding about what the process of planning your estate entails. Here are five of the most common misconceptions people have about estate planning:
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For many people, estate planning begins and ends with their last will and testament, with perhaps some advance directives to avoid problems if they become incapacitated. However, there are some less well known estate planning issues that you should consider, especially if you own a variety of different types of assets. Here are five estate planning issues you may not have considered, but which may have an impact on you or your loved ones: Continue reading “Five Unconventional Estate Planning Issues”
The coronavirus pandemic has brought people’s priorities into sharp relief, making the possibility of mortality more acutely apparent than any other time in recent history. Because of that, consideration of estate planning is likely on the rise during a challenging time when courts are closed, and most legal proceedings are on hold. However, it is still possible to do estate planning even now, and it should not be put off if the sole reason for delay is the inability to travel to a law office and meet with an attorney. Continue reading “Planning Your Estate During the Coronavirus Pandemic”
The “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act” (a/k/a the “SECURE Act”) has passed through Congress and has been signed by President Trump, taking effect on January 1, 2020. This new law will have a significant impact on Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for inherited retirement accounts. Anyone who has a retirement account, or is set to receive an inherited retirement account, should be aware of these changes. Continue reading “New Law Set to Impact RMDs for Inherited Retirement Accounts”
In the context of estate planning, you might sometimes hear about “living trusts,” also called revocable trusts or inter vivos trusts. Living trusts are useful tools for anyone trying to plan for their future under certain circumstances, as they can allow you to fully marshal all assets of your estate prior to your death in lieu of having a last will and testament. Living trusts can create some security for you and your loved ones, since you direct how the trust will be managed and distributed according to your wishes even when you are not there to take care of your family anymore. Continue reading “What is a Living Trust, and Why Would You Want One?”
When a person dies with a last will and testament, it becomes the duty of someone (usually someone dictated within the will itself) to execute the will of the deceased. On the one hand, it is an honor to be trusted with carrying out someone else’s will. On the other hand, it comes with a lot of work and potential liabilities, and it can be helpful to know what you’re getting into, in case you or someone you know is making a decision about who they want to be the executor of their estate. Continue reading “The Fiduciary Duty of an Estate’s Executor”
While college education has been seen as not only a rite of passage but also necessary in order to enter into many areas of workforce, the costs associated with it can be overwhelming. In recent years, the costs associated with higher education have come with a hefty price tag and are projected to continue to rise over the next few decades. According to The College Board, in 2017, the average cost for tuition, fees, and room and board for a four-year private college is a whopping $118,000. If the college-cost inflation rate is 3 percent, today’s 8-year-old can expect to pay $265,000 for four years of higher education at a private college in 2028. With the costs of college looming for current and future generations, more grandparents are looking to support their grandchild’s higher education expenses in their estate plans. Continue reading “Including a Grandchild’s College Tuition in Your Estate Plan”
