What Is Probate?

With all the recent news about what will happen with estate taxes, the process of probate has come up quite a bit.  Sometimes probate is mentioned in a low-key, matter-of-fact kind of way; at other times it is presented as something scary, and to be avoided at all costs. We know our readers have seen… Read More »

Can You Foolproof Your Power of Attorney?

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”  Although we hate to admit it, this statement will also sometimes apply to estate planning; and more often than we would like, it happens with powers of attorney. A power of attorney is the document in which you nominate an agent (or attorney-in-fact) to… Read More »

What to Do With Your Estate Plan After a Divorce

When it comes to estate planning, the steps you take after a divorce are not so different from the steps you’ll take after a death—many of the phone calls will be the same, many of the changes you make and details you change will be similar.  This all makes sense, because a divorce is basically… Read More »

Prepare Now for an Uncertain Future

There’s a useful saying that goes something like this: “Expect the best, but prepare for the worst.”  Never has that saying been as useful as it is right now in regards to asset protection and estate planning.  As Laura Lallos mentions in her article in the Morningstar Advisor, “Estate attorneys are trained to prepare for… Read More »

Executors and Agents: Choosing Your Own Replacement

When people think about estate planning they generally think about inheritance, or taxes, or even guardianship—but rarely are the words “executor” or “agent” the first ones that come to mind.  And yet, choosing your executor or your agent is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. Your executor is the person who carries… Read More »

Lapse in Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Makes Giving to Grandkids Easier Than Ever

Wealthy grandparents have a unique opportunity this year to give their grandchildren gifts of substantial value without incurring any generation skipping transfer tax. This is a huge savings opportunity!—so why aren’t more people taking advantage of it? Part of the reason may be lack of awareness. Everyone knows about the Bush administration’s year-long repeal of… Read More »

How to Keep Your Children from Squandering Their Inheritance

Most parents come into our office with one concern on their minds: protecting and providing for their children. We help these parents select loving guardians and set up solid trust or inheritance plans to ensure that their children will have everything they need.  But parents often have another concern as well—how to keep their children… Read More »

Women and Retirement: Your Money, Your Future, Your Plan

You have a longer life expectancy than a man, different ideas about what constitutes risk, often work for a different pay-scale… and if you’re a woman, you likely need a different kind of retirement plan as well. You may think that the financial advisor recommended by your husband/father/brother will suit you just fine, but this… Read More »

Help for Alzheimer’s Patients AND Their Caregivers

Shakespeare said that old age is a return to childhood; without teeth, without voice… and in the case of Alzheimer’s patients, without memories.  But if the elderly have to endure the drawbacks of childhood, shouldn’t they get some of the benefits too? The Family Caregiver Alliance must have thought so too, because a few times… Read More »