In many cases where a child is disinherited, the reason is the negative event that took place between the child and the parent. Maybe they simply don’t have a very good relationship and don’t communicate often. Perhaps they had a complete falling out and aren’t even...
Estate Planning
How to avoid leaving your loved ones with “inheritor’s guilt”
You likely want the assets you’re able to leave your loved ones in your estate plan to make their lives easier. Maybe they can buy a larger home, worry less about how they’re going to pay for their kids’ college educations, put away some extra money for retirement and...
Is helping a parent with estate planning “undue influence?”
You finally talked your widowed father into putting his estate plan in place. You know that you’re going to have to give him some help or he’ll never get around to doing it. The problem is that you’ve got siblings on the other side of the country who will be expecting...
How advance planning helps those moving into nursing homes
For many people thinking about their golden years, avoiding a nursing home entirely is their top priority. They may go to great lengths to remain independent and in their own homes. However, all it takes is a single fall or a diagnosis with a genetic condition to...
How is life insurance distributed?
When you first bought your life insurance policy, you just hoped that it would support your spouse and your new child if anything happened to you. It gave you a sense of security. As time has gone by, you’ve had more children and even grandchildren. You still have...
Make sure that your will is valid
Estate planning is often perceived as a morbid topic, but in truth, it can actually bring happiness and security to you and your loved ones. There’s so much that can be done with a comprehensive estate plan. One of the key components of any estate plan is the will,...
If you have a living will, consider updating your estate plan
Your estate plan may include documents that you created decades ago when you first got married or had children. If your wishes have remained roughly the same all that time, you may have seen no reason to change or update your estate plan. However, not only has your...
Why you should discuss your will with your family
Specific topics in life, like death, aren’t easy to talk about. While death and estate planning aren’t easy to discuss, you still might want to let your loved ones know of your intentions prior to your passing. Suppose you made recent changes to your will with good...
Do you need to choose the same financial and medical agent?
When you set up a power of attorney, one of the first things you do is determine if it’s going to be a medical power of attorney or a financial power of attorney. This simply dictates what type of decisions the person who is named will be able to make for you. When...
3 reasons you may want to draft a health care directive
Estate planning may involve someone drafting a will, creating a trust or creating documents that take effect while they are still alive. Not that long ago, people planning estates in Washington would create living wills. However, the state has transitioned now to...