The estate tax was repealed for the 2010 calendar year, and any form of tax relief is more than welcome for most Americans. However, in 2011 the estate tax will be back in effect, and it is carrying a very significant bite upon its return. The maximum rate will revert back to the level that … [Read More]
Review Your Estate Plan
As life goes on and the day to day twists and turns occupy your attention you may not give your estate plan much thought. Years can pass since you first created the plan, and those years can turn into decades. But over that time it is very likely that your life changed in many different … [Read More]
Generation-Skipping Trusts
It seems kind of strange in a way, but one of the primary goals of estate planning is to keep your assets intact as you are passing them along to your loved ones. The reason why this reality is rather odd is that you may naively think that what is yours is yours and when … [Read More]
Preparing for the Next Phase in Life
Despite the fact that life expectancy has increased in the last several decades, many people are not planning for what they want to do during the second half of their lives. Often, this is because we’re simply to busy to look that far ahead in the future but the truth is, retirement will be here … [Read More]
Estate Planning Basics: How to Avoid Probate on Real Estate or Other Types of Property
One of the chief goals of the estate planning process is to minimize time-consuming and resource-draining burdens that will fall to your loved ones and family members after you have passed away. The best way to ensure that your survivors won’t be tied up with costly, time-consuming, and emotionally demanding administrative details in the aftermath … [Read More]
What is a Living Trust?
When you pass away, there are essentially three ways your estate can be handled: The first is according to the laws of intestacy. These are state laws that dictate how assets should be distributed when the deceased dies without an estate plan. The second way is through a Will. In this instance, you get to … [Read More]
Health Insurance Tips for Retirement
Retiring can be tricky when it comes to health insurance. If you have group coverage through your employer, then dropping that coverage may also leave the rest of your family uninsured. Buying Health Insurance After 55 – If you need to purchase individual health insurance after you are 55 years old, you should be aware … [Read More]
How to Fund your Living Trust
Living Trusts can be great tools for people who wish to protect property for their heirs, delay distribution of assets to heirs, or simply avoid the costly process of probate. Unfortunately, some people draft Living Trusts and then do not properly fund them before their death, meaning the estate must undergo probate. Fortunately, there is … [Read More]
Do You Need A Will?
Do you need a Will? That all depends upon where you’re at in your life. Someone in their early twenties for example, may not yet have a family to support nor own any major property. In this instance, a life insurance policy might be all you really need at this point. But once you start … [Read More]
The Living Will and Your Quality of Life
There is no doubt that modern medicine can successfully extend life when someone is seriously ill but in some cases, prolonging life might not be the best option. If there is a good chance to make a full recovery, or even close to a complete recovery, most people would likely opt to receive whatever medical … [Read More]
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