A last will and testament can ensure your wishes are respected when you die. But if your will isn’t legally valid, those wishes might not actually be carried out, and instead the laws of “intestate succession” would apply, meaning that the state decides who gets your stuff, and it’s very likely not to be who […]

Investing in life insurance is a foundational part of estate planning. However, when naming your policy’s beneficiaries, there are a number of mistakes you can make that could lead to potentially dire consequences for the very people you’re trying to protect and support. The following four mistakes are among the most common we see clients […]

In the first part of this series, we discussed the early warning signs of diminished financial capacity in the elderly. Here, we’ll discuss planning strategies that can protect your loved ones from incapacity of all kinds. With more and more Baby Boomers reaching retirement age each year, our country is undergoing an unprecedented demographic transformation […]

With more and more Baby Boomers reaching retirement age each year, our country is undergoing an unprecedented demographic transformation that’s been dubbed “The Greying of America.” This population shift stands to affect many aspects of life, especially your relationships with aging parents and other senior family members. By 2060, the number of Americans aged 65 […]

Do your parents have an estate plan? Is it up to date? No matter how rich or poor you or your parents are, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, you need to be asking these and several other questions. When your parents become incapacitated or die, their affairs will become your responsibility, and […]

There’s no doubt that your parents have survived frightening world events, whether that was World War II, the war in Vietnam, nuclear threat, illness, poverty, civil unrest, or all of the above. However, the use of the word “unprecedented” regarding what’s happening now is not an exaggeration. And they may not understand it all or […]

In many families, money still is not a typical dinner table discussion, but we think it should be. Surprisingly, this is especially true when it comes to affluent parents. And, we hope to change it because one of the most important things you can do is talk to your kids (and your parents) about money. […]

While estate planning is probably one of the last things your teenage kids are thinking about, it should be their (and your) number-one priority. Here’s why: At 18, they become legal adults in the eyes of the law, so you no longer have the authority to make decisions regarding their healthcare, nor will you have […]

Today, we want to focus on one of the major risks of not being “in the know” when it comes to your parents’ estate planning matters: How To Protect Your Parents From Undue Influence. It’s an unfortunate fact that predators emerge during times of upheaval to take advantage of people. That means the COVID-19 pandemic […]

When it comes to putting off or refusing to create an estate plan, your mind can concoct all sorts of rationalizations: “I won’t care because I’ll be dead,” “I’m too young,” “That won’t happen to me,” or “My family will know what to do.” But these thoughts all come from a mix of pride, denial, […]

This is an ongoing series of articles discussing how to avoid costly mistakes in estate planning. The series highlights a few of the most common—and costly—planning mistakes we encounter with clients. This article discusses how to avoid costly planning mistakes planning for incapacity. If the series exposes any potential gaps or weak spots in your […]

When discussing estate planning, a will is what most people think of first. Indeed, wills have been the most popular method for passing on assets to heirs for hundreds of years. But wills aren’t your only option. And if you rely on a will alone to pass on what matters, you’re guaranteeing your family has […]

If you own a business, you almost certainly have intellectual property. However, because your intellectual property is intangible, it can be invisible to you and those who aren’t familiar with the nature of intellectual property and its value, so it often gets overlooked, especially when it comes to estate planning. Yet, if you fail to […]

A will is one of the most basic estate planning tools. While relying solely on a will is rarely a suitable option for most people, just about every estate plan includes this key document in one form or another. A will is used to designate how you want your assets distributed to your surviving loved […]

When you create your estate plan, the idea that one of your adult children would ever use their inheritance to bankroll a cult is probably something you’d never dream of, much less anticipate. Yet that’s exactly what 40-year-old Clare Bronfman, heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Seagram’s fortune, did with hers. In the end, with her inheritance—and […]

The decision to purchase life insurance is a big one. While you may be thinking about your family, it’s important to think about the beneficiaries of your estate plan. A life insurance policy leaves behind financial assets and can help provide for loved ones in the event of an unexpected death.But before selecting who should […]

Long-term care insurance is not covered by your healthcare insurance The care provided by nursing homes and assisted living facilities is becoming increasingly important as people are now able to live longer. As our society’s life expectancy rises with each year that passes, so does the demand for services such as those provided in a […]

Fewer than one-third of family businesses survive into the second generation, while only 13 percent make it to the third generation. But here are some tips for a successful family business succession and how you can beat the odds and help your business live on for generations to come! Try to Keep it in the […]