When it comes time to start thinking about your long-term financial well being, there are a lot of tools available to help ensure that your assets will be handled in a way that best meets your goals and wishes. Trusts can be one of the most important of these tools. A trust is particularly valuable tool for […]

Though most people are aware of the need to have a will in advance of their death, there are many who neglect to do so, leaving their loved ones unsure as to what their wishes were regarding their estate. Even the estates of those individuals who have planned carefully and who leave behind comprehensive plans

There are a number of circumstances in the course of daily life when you may have need of a Power of Attorney, including when you need to sell a car or your home. Generally speaking, the paperwork that is signed in these types of scenarios is limited to those specific needs, and is referred to

Few people like to think about their own mortality, or what will happen after they are gone, but doing so is an important part of the responsibility of being an adult. If you own assets and do not have a plan in place for how you would like them dispersed after your death, then nobody

When planning for the long term future, many people are interested in making sure that their philanthropic interests are addressed and the charities that they are passionate about receive a portion of their assets. There are a variety of ways to address this while working on an estate plan, but one of the best is

The IRS recently announced the inflation adjusted figures for gift and estate tax exemption amounts for 2016 as well as other related tax numbers. End of year tax planning is a good time to review your overall estate and income tax plan to make certain you are on the right track. Whether you are deferring

Planning for how your assets will be distributed and passed on after death is difficult enough without having to worry about how your online assets will be transferred. The world we live in today is constantly evolving, with more and more people relying on the Internet in their daily lives. What people don’t often think

We get the question all the time, what about these online “do it yourself” estate planning websites? Seems enticing right? Our answer is always simple…they breed mistakes! These generic online documents are designed for a “one-size-fits-all” scenario, however, we all know every situation is unique. We recently came across an example of a gentleman in

There are at least three certainties in life: death, taxes and change. As we age and experience change, or laws change, it’s critical to reevaluate our plans for the future and where our loved ones or our goals (old and new) fit into them. This begs the question: when was the last time you took