In many respects, estate planning for single parents of minor children is similar to estate planning for families with two parents. Single parents want to provide for their children’s care and financial needs after they’re gone. But when only one parent is involved, certain aspects of an estate plan demand
It’s crucial to review and update your estate plan in light of significant life changes or new tax laws. It’s equally important to be aware of strategies that can be implemented after your death to achieve your estate planning goals. The flexibility postmortem strategies provide is especially important during times
With the different variations of families in today's modern world, complications can arise as to who has the legal right to inherit assets. In some cases, an adult child will come to a lawyer's office after a parent has died to discuss the distribution of the estate -- only to
If you’ve decided it’s time to create your estate plan, congratulations! A good place to begin is to work with us to determine what your estate is worth and whether you need to worry about estate taxes. What is your estate worth? First list all of your assets and their
If your elderly parent’s mental state is deteriorating to the point where he or she is unable to manage day-to-day activities, it may be time to make the difficult decision to have him or her declared incapacitated. But how do you know if such action is necessary? 2 key questions
If you have unadopted stepchildren, estate planning is critical to ensure that your property is distributed the way you desire. Stepchildren generally don’t have any inheritance rights with respect to their parents’ new spouses unless the spouse legally adopts them. If you have stepchildren and want them to share in
When a married couple lives in a community property state, the money earned and property acquired by either spouse during their marriage generally belongs to the “community.” This means that each spouse has an undivided one-half interest in the property (regardless of how property is titled). Then, when one spouse
Your estate plan likely accommodates your spouse, children and grandchildren. But have you overlooked your parents? How can you best handle their financial affairs in the later stages of life? You may want to incorporate their needs into your own estate plan while tweaking, when necessary, the arrangements they’ve already
Life insurance can be a powerful financial and estate planning tool, but its benefits may be reduced or even eliminated if you designate the wrong beneficiary or fail to change beneficiaries when your circumstances change. Here are common pitfalls to avoid: Naming your estate as beneficiary. Doing so subjects life
If you’re getting married, estate planning likely is the last thing you want to think about. But if you and your future spouse plan to sign a prenuptial agreement (commonly referred to as simply a “prenup”), it’s a good idea to design the agreement with your estate plan in mind.
