Month: July 2019
Mistakes to avoid when creating an estate plan
Estate planning is an important part of financial management. Having an estate plan in place means you can have confidence your assets will be distributed based on your wishes after you pass away. However, many people make mistakes during the estate planning process...
What to look for in an estate executor
Your estate executor is the person who will be in charge of reading your estate planning documents and following the instructions that you have listed within. Say that you have two adult children and you want to divide your financial assets between both of them. The...
Estate planning isn’t just about money
For many people, the main focus of estate planning is money. They have amassed a certain amount of wealth and they want to make a plan to pass that wealth to the next generation. They can write a will, put money in a trust, use a payable-on-death (POD) account and...
What’s the difference between executors and administrators?
When someone passes on, everything they own is then referred to as their estate. An estate is the sum total of property, debt and assets the decedent amassed throughout their life. Since they’re no longer around, someone has to manage their estate, and this is where...
Why do will disputes happen?
A will is a document that outlines the deceased's last wishes. Courts often scrutinize wills closely to ensure there are no issues. However, there may be reasons to invalidate a will. A will dispute could make probate take longer, but it may be necessary. Here are a...
What happens to your digital assets when you die?
You may not consider your digital assets when considering estate planning. However, it is essential that you plan for these, as well as your tangible assets. Digital assets encompass a wide range of electronic records and accounts, including social media profiles,...
A will is not the only way to bequeath your assets
Many people who haven’t yet begun the process of developing an estate plan think that the will is the only instrument used to designate how assets will be distributed after they die. While the will is always the central document of an estate plan, there are multiple...
What is the difference between heirs and beneficiaries?
Estate planning has a lot of unique legal words, such as heir and beneficiary. Heirs and beneficiaries are often used interchangeably to mean someone who would gain assets from the deceased’s will or trust. However, the use of these words depends on specific...
The details and benefits of a discretionary trust
In South Carolina, discretionary trusts are an estate planning tool that allows the grantor to distribute assets to a beneficiary according to flexible guidelines based on the trustee's discretion. The following points explain this type of trust and the...
Charitable giving and estate planning
Estate planning often involves deciding what assets go to heirs. However, not all distributions must go to relatives and other close beneficiaries. An estate plan may involve charitable giving, directing a little or substantial amount toward good causes. The key point...