Archive for June 2017
A Love Letter to Your Family: The Letter of Final Wishes
Your will covers the legal side of estate planning, but a Letter of Final Wishes comes from the heart. Use it as a means of telling your family what you’d like them to do and to know, when you are gone. These legal documents are necessary: a will, a power of attorney, living will and…
Read MoreRetirement Planning Has You Overwhelmed? Here’s a Starting Point
At times it may seem like planning for college was easier than planning for retirement. But you can keep things simple with these four key elements of retirement planning. Investments, health insurance, Social Security, aging in place, taxes: there’s so much to think about when it comes to retirement planning. But according to this recently…
Read MoreEstate Planning is a Matter of Life and Death
Estate plans and the legal documents of estate planning are actually more for the living—the survivors—as they are for those who die. Planning for incapacity, illness and death will make difficult times and decisions easier for those you love. It is natural that you’d rather plan a fun family vacation than your funeral. But while…
Read MoreCan You Pass Your Home Down Without Going Through Probate?
Using a life estate can help you pass down your home to heirs without going through probate, which is costly and time-consuming. Check with an estate planning attorney to make sure this is right for you. A number of estate planning strategies are used to pass the family home down to the next generation, but…
Read MoreDigital Assets as a Part of Estate Planning
Welcome to the new world, where your digital assets are a part of estate planning. Photographs, online documents and social media are all part of your estate and need to be included in your estate plan. We are accustomed to thinking of estate plans as a means of distributing assets like houses, bank accounts, investment…
Read MoreThe Moment You Become a Parent, You Need an Estate Plan
Young parents who are busy with babies and small children aren’t what come to mind when you think of estate planning, but without an estate plan, their most precious children are unprotected. Nothing changes a person’s perspective more than welcoming a new baby. Young adults suddenly understand what it means to be responsible for another…
Read MoreSpecial Needs Individuals: How Parents Can Plan for the Future
A Special Needs Trust is just the beginning in planning for the needs of a special needs individual, particularly as parents age. There are several steps that can be taken to ensure quality of life. Many special needs individuals are able to live independently and have fulfilling jobs. Parents often use special needs trusts to…
Read MoreOwning More than One IRA: Sometimes a Great Idea
If you are prone to over-organization, then the idea of owning multiple IRAs will appeal to you. IRAs are the cornerstone of many people’s retirement strategies. They were designed that way, offering attractive tax breaks that working people appreciate. Did you know that there are no restrictions on the number of IRAs that you can…
Read MoreWorking Past 65? Here’s What You Need to Know
Whether you are working because you love what you do or because you need the extra money, there are certain steps to take to make the most out of working past the usual retirement age. Working long after your peers have retired, can provide some advantages, including larger Social Security benefits and adding to your…
Read MoreMaking a Retirement Dream Come True Requires Real-World Planning
If your idea of retirement means not working and enjoying a life of leisure, you’d better start crunching numbers and planning for the unexpected. People like to daydream about their retirement. They imagine themselves traveling, playing with grandchildren, sleeping late and playing. But according to a recent article in Kiplinger, “5 Common Roadblocks That Can…
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