Category Archives: Estate Planning
Aging In Place Begins In Middle Age
Time flies when you’re procrastinating. You may have just run a marathon at age 49, but that Red Hot Chili Peppers Jam that was blasting from the loudspeaker as you crossed the finish line was playing on the oldies station. You are wise to live in the moment and enjoy your health and wealth,… Read More »
Your Estate Plan: What Will It Take To Get Started?
Just because lawyers exist, this does not mean that it is impossible or inadvisable to follow the law on your own; the lawyers are there to give you advice or to speak on your behalf when things get complicated. Personal injury lawyers represent people who have suffered severe injuries in car accidents, but most… Read More »
Getting A Dementia Diagnosis Is A Real Possibility: Can Your Estate Plan Cope With It?
Fans everywhere were shocked and saddened to hear that Bruce Willis is retiring from acting after his diagnosis of aphasia, a neurological disorder involving deficits in the ability to use language. Some types of aphasia are associated with dementia, while other types occur as the result of a stroke; therefore, most patients diagnosed with… Read More »
You Have More Options Than You Think About What Happens To Your Body After You Die
The philosophers have been reminding us for years that eventually, all of us will die, and our bodies will turn to dust. Estate planning lawyers will tell you with a smile that estate planning is about planning for life, not just about planning for death. The truth is, however, that your estate plan is… Read More »
Which Source Of Retirement Income Should You Tap Into First?
Financial planners often start their sessions with new clients by asking them how much money they want to spend in retirement. Economics professor Laurence Kotlikoff thinks this approach is wrongheaded, because you can only spend as much as you have, so it is useless to think about how much money you want without first… Read More »
How Not To Help Your Children Financially: Advice From An Estate Planning Lawyer
From an estate planning perspective, there are no right or wrong answers about how much or how little money to give your adult children. As long as you have enough money left over for your own retirement expenses and healthcare, you can continue to spoil your children and grandchildren as much as you want. … Read More »
How Important Is Life Insurance in Your Estate Plan?
At every age, you have probably heard people advise you not to be insurance-poor. Trying to get most types of insurance to pay for what they promised to pay for, whether it is your health insurance paying for doctor’s office visits or your car insurance paying for vehicle repair after a car accident. At… Read More »
Probate Gets Complicated When Long-Lost Siblings Enter the Picture
DNA science has changed the world for the better. It has demonstrated the innocence of people wrongfully accused of violent crimes and even exonerated some who had been wrongfully convicted. It has definitively refuted racist arguments about the biological superiority of one race over others. It has enabled people who were adopted as infants… Read More »
Earth to Baby Boomer Parents: Just Say “No” to Freeloading Adultolescents
It’s no secret that your children’s generation faces financial struggles that were much easier to avoid when you were young than they are today. Well-paying jobs that didn’t require a university degree were easier to find, and college education was much less expensive. Meanwhile, even necessities like housing and groceries have gone up in… Read More »
Life Estate: When You Can Stay in Your Deceased Spouse’s House for the Rest of Your Life, but You Do Not Inherit the House
The law treats your homestead, that is, the house which is your primary and permanent residence, differently from how it treats other possessions, and even from how it treats other real estate properties. For example, in bankruptcy cases, it is often possible to claim a homestead exemption where you get to keep your house… Read More »