The Family Meeting: Not Just for Billionaires
In estate planning, future problems are exactly what family meetings are intended to avoid. The longer such discussions are delayed, the greater the likelihood that they never take place and that unresolved family issues will rear their ugly heads when money changes hands.
Raising Stewards, Not Mere Beneficiaries: Preparing the Next Generation for Inheritance
Steward—a term for someone entrusted with the care of something that does not personally belong to them—is commonly used in such realms as business, public service, and environmentalism. How to prepare for the next generation.
Saving for School: Planning for Your Family’s Education
If postsecondary education is in your family’s future, the following tools can be excellent additions to your estate plan to help provide for education needs.
The “Death Box”: One Step That Can Make a Difficult Time Easier for Your Loved Ones
One way you can take some of the pain out of administering your estate is by preparing a death box, also called a death binder, next-of-kin box, or legacy folder.
How to Own Your Real Estate
Your real estate encompasses not only your primary residence but also any vacation homes, rental properties, or even vacant land you may own. The ideal form of ownership varies depending on the type of property and your individual circumstances.
The Hidden Gender Gap in Estate Planning – and How to Close It
You have probably heard of the gender pay gap. But there is also another common disparity: the estate planning gender gap.
Although the two are interrelated to some extent—earning less than men puts women on an unequal path to investment and retirement savings, and women generally spend more than men on healthcare in retirement—the specific reasons behind the gap in estate planning deserve their own consideration.
Celebrate Your Life Your Way: How to Make Funerals and Memorials Meaningful
When you die, certain people (e.g., an executor of your estate or a close relative) can generally exercise rights over your body including its proper disposal. However, you may want to make your wishes known by putting a plan in place. That plan should also include how the arrangements will be paid for.
Why Title Matters
Real estate can be owned in several different ways. The form of ownership, or how your property is titled, can determine how much control you have over it, how vulnerable your property is to creditor claims and lawsuits, and what will happen to it at your death.
Estate Planning as a Love Language: Protecting Those Who Depend on You
Estate planning is a love language all of its own that can communicate care not only through gifts of money and property but also through the act of planning for what will eventually happen to us. It is a way of showing love to the people who depend on us by creating clarity and support so that they are not left guessing or scrambling when we are no longer here.
Talking to Aging Parents About Estate Planning
Talking to aging parents about estate planning and some conversation starter ideas.
The Hidden Burden: What It Really Means to be an Executor, Trustee, or Agent under a Power of Attorney
What are some of the hidden burdens when you serve as Executor, Trustee of Agent under a Power of Attorney?
Love, Loss, and Legacy: Handling Sentimental Belongings After the Death of a Loved One
Steps to take to handling sentimental belongings after the death of a loved one.