Month: May 2019

When you’re packing your young adult child off to college, you’re full of hopes and dreams for their future. Why, then, would you (or they) be thinking about estate planning? The answer is that everybody needs an estate plan, no matter their age or assets – and that...

Estate planning isn’t just about designating who will inherit your assets after you’re gone. It can also let you plan as much as possible for a time when you may not be able to care for or even speak for yourself. One of the most important documents in your estate...

Some people choose to add a separate component to their estate planning. Swedish death cleaning, or döstädning, is a type of physical and digital purge of all the items that have clogged up your life. The goal is twofold: You want to spare your surviving loved ones...

One of the most difficult aspects of being the executor of someone’s estate is the fact that emotions can run very high. Not everybody (and maybe nobody) is going to agree with how you handle the job. What can you do to navigate this situation effectively, without...

Wills and other estate planning documents are supposed to reflect the wishes of the creator. A will, for example, sets out how assets should be distributed upon the testator’s death.  While other people can benefit from the estate and guide the testator in certain...

A pour-over will is a type of will you can set up when you base your estate plan on a revocable living trust - which is something people may do to keep assets out of probate among other things. The problem with a revocable living trust is that you need to remember to...

After determining the qualities you want your executor to possess and finding the right party, you need to initiate a conversation. But how do you ask someone to accept such a complex role? Here are three tips that can help you: Let them understand your criteria for...

There are lots of different reasons that a parent may choose to disinherit one of their children – and it’s not always an adversarial situation. For example, parents may choose to disinherit capable, successful adult children to leave more resources behind for their...

Estate planning is the critical process of ensuring asset management and distribution according to your wishes after your death. However, your family, or at least your chosen personal representative, needs to be able to find your estate plan documents. A special...