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Organize for Your Successor Trustee
If you’ve ever had to execute a deceased loved one’s estate, then you know what an overwhelming job it can be. Think about your own method of organization. Do you keep all of your financial papers in one place? Do you keep your birth and marriage certificates nearby and easily accessible? What about insurance forms, information about retirement plans […]
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Women – the Last Leaf on the Tree
Do you know who will take care of you when you no longer able to take care of yourself? According to this article in Investment News, your caregiver is likely to be a woman, and most likely to be your daughter or daughter-in-law. What this means is that unless you have a plan for your […]
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Domestic Partnership Estate Planning
According to a recent article in the New York Times, the topic of marriage and family is still being hotly debated in our country. Although some states have granted same sex couples the option to choose a “civil union” or “domestic partnership” status, many couples say it isn’t enough. Because they cannot use the term […]
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Ledger Tragedy Amplified by Outdated Will
According to this article by the Associated Press, the tragic death of actor Heath Ledger is followed by the further tragedy of a Will that was filed in Australia in 2003 and never updated to provide for his 2 year old daughter with actress Michelle Williams. The entirety of Ledger’s estate is instead left to […]
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Change Is In the Air for Estate Tax Law
It was Benjamin Franklin who said, in the late 1700s, that “in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes”; but in 2008 nothing is less certain than death taxes, a situation that the U.S. Senate is trying to remedy. In 2001, President George W. Bush introduced a tax cut that would gradually reduce […]
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Protect Yourself From Elder Financial Abuse
“When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this but we all have to do it.” ~Mark Twain Mark […]
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Leave a Lasting Legacy
Daylight Saving Time has come around again, and most Americans lost an hour Sunday morning as they set their clocks forward. As a twice-yearly, reliable institution, Daylight Saving Time is a good time to take a moment to examine parts of our lives that we may not normally consider during the day-to-day grind. This weekend […]
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Pass On Your Values
Most of us would like to think we’re leaving behind more than just money when we pass away. We’d like to think we’ve impressed our values upon our children and grandchildren as well, giving them a foundation of knowledge and belief to serve them when we are no longer here. The good news is that […]
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Brevity Is Not Always Best
Most people are shocked when they see the sheer volume of paper in a truly well-prepared estate plan. A trust by itself can be over sixty or seventy pages. Add to that the other 6 to 16 documents you’ll want to execute (depending on your family situation) and you can find yourself signing a mountain of paperwork […]
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Protecting Your IRA
Most people know how important a Retirement Account is in planning for their own future and for the future of their dependents and invest in them accordingly. What people might not know, however, is how difficult it can be to navigate through the numerous IRS rules and regulations when the time comes to enjoy the […]
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