Estate planning — it is an incredibly important tool, not just for the uber wealthy or those thinking about retirement. On the contrary, estate planning is something every adult should do. Estate planning can help you accomplish any number of goals, including appointing guardians for minor children, choosing healthcare agents to make decisions for you […]

Having an updated last will and testament is more important than ever, especially now. However, a will that is poorly created or not frequently updated can be vulnerable to contestation. What is contestation? It is the formal objection to a will’s (or trust’s) validity because it either: a) doesn’t reflect the wishes of the person

The use of irrevocable single-premium, immediate payout annuities by New Jersey Medicaid applicants can be an effective estate planning strategy in many cases. Recently, however, the State has been pushing back against the use of these annuities for a variety of reasons. Notably, Federal regulations provide that a purchased annuity is not considered an asset

A blended family, where both parents have children from prior relationships and combine to live together as a new family, is becoming more common. The Pew Research Center estimates that 16% of children are part of a blended family. Six out of 10 women’s remarriages create blended families, and such a unique family can pose

Many people believe estate plans are just for the wealthy. Yet this is not the case. Everyone needs to consider meeting with an attorney to make an estate plan. Why? Most people have some debt or own something of value. Making plans to have someone else manage loans or credit cards if you cannot, will

National Estate Planning Awareness Week is October 21-27, 2019, and if you do not have a recent estate plan, now is the time to create one. The National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC) reports approximately 56% of Americans do not have a current estate plan. Often, people who do not have one believe

Both a living will and a Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) are advance directives. They both provide instructions on what to do if someone becomes incapacitated and cannot make medical decisions. However, each one has a specific purpose. A living will which is also called an instruction directive in New Jersey, is used to tell

Student loan debt is no longer just a concern for those in their 20s and 30s. Older individuals have student loans too. Seniors now have the highest rate of student loan debt. TransUnion, a credit reporting firm, recently released data showing student loan debt rose 161% for those 60 and older from 2010 to 2017.

Pour-over wills and living trusts work together to make sure that all assets go to the intended beneficiaries after death. With a pour-over will, all property not specifically given to someone in the will at death is “poured over” into the trust. A pour-over will works to transfer property into a trust which was bought