Caring.com conducts annual surveys to get a feel for the percentages of American adults that have estate plans in place. They release the results during the early portion of the year, and they have recently shared their 2023 findings. We will take a look at some of the important takeaways in this post. Overall Preparedness The percentage of adults with estate plans has remained constant for the most part over recent years with slight fluctuations. This time around, 34.1 percent of all people … [Read more...] about 2023 Caring.com Survey Reveals Widespread Estate Planning Unpreparedness
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Postmortem Asset Transfers: Explore Your Options
You should work with a licensed estate planning attorney to help you prepare your plan for a number of different reasons. One of them is the simple fact that there are many different ways to go about it, and the right choice will depend upon the circumstances. If you are not aware of all the options that exist and the reasons why one asset transfer method may be preferable to another, you can make mistakes. While you will not be around to see the outcome, your loved ones will be forced to deal … [Read more...] about Postmortem Asset Transfers: Explore Your Options
Estate Planning for Generation Y
Millennials are part of Generation Y, and at this point, they are between 25 and 40 years of age. Less than 30 percent of people in this age group have estate plans in place according to a survey that was conducted by Caring.com. The unprepared individuals are taking risks, and it is one thing if you are single and you have no children, but it is another matter when there are people depending on you. Estate planning is a must for responsible millennials, and we will demystify the process in … [Read more...] about Estate Planning for Generation Y
What Happens If You Pass Without a Will?
Unfortunately, the vast majority of American adults are unprepared from an estate planning perspective. You would expect younger people to be remiss, but they are not alone. Just under 50 percent of older folks that are 55 years of age and older have wills or trusts. If you pass away without a will or a trust, you would die intestate, and we will take a look at the way that an intestate estate is handled in this post. Probate-Free Asset Transfers When a will has been executed, the document … [Read more...] about What Happens If You Pass Without a Will?
Can I Get My Estate Plan Online?
We are conditioned to think that we can do just about anything on our own with some type of tool that we obtain online. This mentality extends into the estate planning realm, because there are websites that sell generic legal documents of all kinds, including simple wills and trusts. Why would people rely on these sketchy “solutions” that sound too good to be true? The popular website Caring.com conducts research on an ongoing basis to gauge the estate planning preparedness of American … [Read more...] about Can I Get My Estate Plan Online?
A Conversation With an Estate Planning Lawyer
If you were to have an informal conversation with an estate planning lawyer, you would learn a lot in a short period of time. With this in mind, we are going to share a hypothetical conversation between a curious layperson and an estate planning attorney. When should you start to think about developing an estate plan? A lot of people think you can wait until you are a senior citizen for a couple of different reasons. One of them is the simple fact that they don’t like to think about their … [Read more...] about A Conversation With an Estate Planning Lawyer
Estate Planning: Where Do You Begin?
The majority of people do not have estate plans in place, but a survey that was conducted by Caring.com found that most of the same folks know that estate planning is important. Why do they fail to take action? There are various reasons including the simple fact that many of them don't know where to begin. With this in mind, let's look at the basic framework. Legacy Preservation The first aspect of the process may come as somewhat of a surprise. Before you start to think about how the … [Read more...] about Estate Planning: Where Do You Begin?
Estate Planning Simplified
Studies are conducted on an annual basis to gauge the estate planning preparedness of American adults. Though passing away is one of the two certainties of life as the saying goes, the vast majority of people in our country are going through life without any type of estate planning documents at all. There are different reasons why they fail to take action, but one of them is the simple fact that they do not know how to begin. The process seems a bit overwhelming, so they resolve to do it … [Read more...] about Estate Planning Simplified
Estate Plan Revisions May Be Necessary
Estate planning should not be viewed as a one and done affair. When you put an original estate plan in place, it will be based on a snapshot of your life at that time. The only constant is change, so it is very likely that your plan will need to be revised over the years. Let’s look at some of the events that can make estate plan adjustments necessary. Marriage When you are young and single, you should have a basic estate plan in place even if you have limited resources. The plan would … [Read more...] about Estate Plan Revisions May Be Necessary
Why Do You Need an Estate Planning Lawyer?
A lot of people think that estate planning boils down to one simple act. At some point, you draw up a will and that’s the end of the story. You can buy a fill-in-the-blank legal documents online, so you can get it done in a matter of a few minutes. DIY projects have their place, but there are some tasks that are too important to take on yourself. Let’s look at some of the reasons why it is wise to engage an estate planning lawyer when you are planning your estate. Asset Transfer Methods The … [Read more...] about Why Do You Need an Estate Planning Lawyer?
