What type of end-of-life care do you really want? Now, everyone hopes that they will pass away peacefully, without complications, but that rarely happens. Planning for the medical care that you want at this time should be part of your estate planning as a whole.One...
Estate Planning
How fast do people spend an inheritance?
You spend years building up your wealth. Maybe it takes decades. You put money and assets aside to pass on to your children.But how long is that really going to last? After you leave the money to your children, how fast do you think that they're going to spend...
More people are having children later in life
As social trends continue to change, the typical age of a first-time mother keeps getting older. This can have a big impact on estate planning for those who have children later in life.Over the last two decades, per the Pew Research Center, the number of mothers who...
The big reasons why life expectancy keeps falling
It seems like every generation should live a bit longer than the last, right? We invest so much time and money in technology, medicine and related fields. We understand the human body in ways people couldn't fathom not that long ago. Many medical technologies that...
Giving the kids money now could massively change your estate plan
Estate planning involves, among other things, determining how to leave your money to your children. When you pass away, your wealth goes to them. You simply need to figure out the best way to do it.But what if the children need that money now? Giving it to them in...
Women live longer than men: Get your estate plan in order
While both men and women need to do proper estate planning, it is especially important for women because they tend to live longer than men. This means that the odds are higher that the last surviving spouse in an opposite-sex marriage is going to be the woman. Even if...
6 things you may need in your estate plan
Your estate plan probably starts with a will. It's the most basic document expressing what you want to happen with your estate after you pass away.However, some people make the mistake of assuming that this is all they need. The reality is that this is just the...
What’s a joint tenancy for real estate?
Sometimes, you can use a joint tenancy to bypass the need for real estate property to go through the probate process after you've passed away. You might buy a piece of property together with another person -- like your spouse -- and set up the ownership as joint...
What’s special about a Totten trust?
There are so many varieties of trusts that it's difficult to keep track of them all. These trusts can also drafted in a number of ways, which makes it tricky to know exactly what to do for an inexperienced trust planning attorney, and especially for a layperson who...
Tips for talking to your adult children about their inheritance
As you create an estate plan, you'll spend a lot of time thinking about what will happen to your assets upon your death. Like many, you may have plans of leaving your assets to your adult children.You're not required to talk to your adult children about their...