When establishing a trust, individuals often prioritize specifying how their assets will be managed and distributed. A crucial aspect of this process involves designating a trustee—an individual or entity responsible for managing the trust assets and executing the Continue reading
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The Essential Role of ‘Stuff’ in Your Estate Plan: Beyond the Legal Documents
When people think about estate planning, they often focus on the legal documents—the wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. While these documents are undeniably crucial, there’s another aspect that’s often overlooked: the sentimental and practical value of your belongings, or simply Continue reading
How Far in Advance Can I Begin My Estate Planning?
You can create your estate plan at any time, but many people choose to begin the process sooner rather than later. Why? Because you never know when life-changing medical or financial emergencies can strike that will require someone else to manage your affairs during your lifetime. Continue reading
Swedish Death Cleaning
How much stuff is too much? Most Americans would probably admit that they own too many things. From clothes to electronics to sports equipment to collectibles, the typical US house is stuffed to the brim with items of questionable utility.
On occasion, we may commit to decluttering, Continue reading
What Happens to My Leased Car If I Die Before the Lease Term Ends?
After a house, a car is often the second-most valuable piece of property a person owns.
About 15–20 percent of new vehicles are leased rather than purchased and financed. Leasing is a popular alternative to traditional financing because it can allow the lessee (the person who leases Continue reading
Limited Impact of Estrangement on Estate Planning
Unfortunately, rifts sometimes arise between family members that are much more serious than just temporary squabbles. The result may be estrangement, defined as “the state of being alienated or separated in feeling or affection; a state of hostility or unfriendliness” or “the state Continue reading
Collecting Debts on Behalf of Your Deceased Loved One
People often engage in transactions that result in money being owed to them, such as loaning money to a friend or business partner or renting a house to a tenant. But what happens if someone passes away before they receive the money owed to them? Can someone else collect these debts? Continue reading
Four Things Your Spouse Should Know Before You Die
It is normal for married couples to share almost every aspect of their lives with each other. But when it comes to death, even the closest couples might become tight-lipped about certain topics. According to one study, half of all couples fail to discuss their dying wishes.[1]
Death Continue reading
You Can Benefit from Giving Gifts
A benefit of working hard is sharing the fruits of your labor with your loved ones. However, gift or estate tax consequences may impact high net worth clients when they share their wealth. By crafting a comprehensive estate plan, we can address these concerns and protect high net Continue reading
Bills and Services to Cancel—and Keep—When a Loved One Dies
A loved one’s passing is challenging on many different levels. In addition to the emotional difficulty of processing someone’s death, there are also the many tasks that must be dealt with, such as going through their various accounts and taking the necessary steps to cancel them or Continue reading