Tag Archives: estate planning
Are You Making Any of These 12 Estate Planning Oversights?
Many people believe that a simple will is all they need to accomplish their goals for the future. However, a flawed estate plan can create just as many headaches, heartaches, and expenses for your loved ones as having no plan. Life changes, laws evolve, and even the best intentions can fall short, leaving family… Read More »
How to Make Your Inheritance Last
Receiving an inheritance, whether large or small, often comes with a wide range of emotions, from the grief of losing a loved one to the hope and excitement about the possibilities the inheritance may create. According to Northwestern Mutual’s 2025 Planning & Progress study, over half (57 percent) of Americans who expect to receive… Read More »
What to Do When You Do Not Own What You Think You Own
Imagine the following scenario: You have been living in a house for years. As your mother’s sole heir, you inherited it from her when she passed away. You pay the taxes and insurance. You make the repairs and mow the lawn. You call it home, and everyone in the family calls it “yours.” However,… Read More »
Is an Income-Tax Time Bomb Lurking in Your Estate Plan?
As the federal estate tax exemption has ballooned from $5 million in 2011 to $13.99 million today (increasing to $15 million in 2026 adjusted for inflation), the need for estate tax planning has drastically decreased. However, with a top marginal income tax rate of 37 percent, the focus of estate planning has shifted to… Read More »
Do Not Let Your Money and Property Go to the State: Why You Need an Estate Plan
Americans tend to bristle when any level of the government meddles in their private lives, especially with their money. Look no further than the famous “death and taxes” quote for a sense of how Americans feel about bureaucratic creep and government’s sticky fingers. You may take pains to minimize government meddling in your personal… Read More »
Should I Include My Unborn Child in My Estate Plan?
Estate planning is an exercise in anticipating potential future events that could affect your plans for what happens if you become incapacitated (unable to manage your own affairs during your lifetime) and how your assets (property and accounts) will be handled after your death. The more you plan for what life might throw at… Read More »
Life Estate versus Right of Occupancy Trust: Which Is Right for You?
Planning for the future of your home can be complicated, especially when you want to ensure that a loved one can continue living there after you are gone. Two common tools for accomplishing this are life estates and right of occupancy trusts. A life estate grants someone the legal right to live in a… Read More »
Beware of Trust Scams—and How to Spot Them
Trusts are widely used in estate planning to protect and transfer a person’s assets (money, accounts, property, etc.), sometimes in a tax-advantaged manner. Some trusts are highly complex, with multiple parties, intricate structures, specialized legal terms, and references to arcane tax law that can be difficult for the average person to understand. Scammers have… Read More »
How to Give Real Property to a Loved One at Your Death Without Probate Court Involvement
A home is often one of the most important assets that people own. Therefore, most people want to stay in their home until they die and then have a loved one receive it. One common way to transfer the deed of a house after death is through a will. However, transferring property with a… Read More »
4 Steps to Stop Mail Addressed to a Deceased Person
Once you have been appointed the executor or personal representative of a deceased loved one’s probate estate, or when you step in as the successor trustee of the loved one’s trust, one of the first things you should do is to notify the post office of the death and ask them to forward the… Read More »
