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Hey Kids! Don’t Sell the Farm!
Here’s a true story about a family where the kids didn’t follow their dad’s advice about the family farm.
Post-it Notes Are Not Legally Binding
I once heard of someone asking her grandchildren to go around the house putting Post-it notes on the things they wanted after she was gone. For several years, every time her grandchildren would come over the post-it notes were still scattered around the house. Yellow...
How Innovative Medicaid Planning Helped Save the Relationship of Two Sisters
This is the real-life story of two sisters, an annuity, nursing home costs, and why Medicaid Planning matters. Mom did not have much, but she owned her home, had a steady retirement income, and had purchased two annuities. Each in the amount of $50,000. Each daughter...
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Granny, Can I Borrow Your Flat Screen TV? Types of Elder Fraud to Watch Out For
In our last post we talked about how Elder Fraud is sadly on the rise. In this post we want to give you a heads up about specific types of fraud to look out for. Scams to watch out for from strangers: Fake prizes and sweepstakes Too good to be true investments...
What You Need to Know About Hospice
At Edwards Group we believe that education is foundational to navigating the issues of aging with as little stress as possible. And with all the misinformation out there about hospice, we thought it would be good to do an article on the topic. Elisa Cottrell, a former...
Granny Got Robbed: A Series on Elder Fraud
When you see an article in the paper about a senior being taken advantage of, it often involves a power of attorney. A power of attorney is a great legal tool that lets someone else help you pay your bills or manage finances and property. But, watch out! If you name...
Planning with Life Insurance
We often use life insurance as a tool in helping clients. Life insurance is important in many estate-planning situations, such as the following: Young families. Life insurance can help raise the kids and get them through college...
5 Reasons Not to DIY Your Will
I often hear people say, "I don't need an estate plan. I don't have an estate!" But that's not true. Virtually everyone can benefit from having a personalized estate plan, which is, at the very least, a will. Without one, the state of Illinois will decide what happens...
The Truth About Six Common Estate Planning Excuses
It was recently Estate Planning Awareness Week. This concept was developed because estate planning is an often-overlooked element of financial wellness. And it's one that is quite easy to put off thinking about. Here at Edwards Group, it's estate planning awareness...
Do You Have Trust Issues? One Family’s Cautionary Tale of Why You Need More Than a Will
When John Meier* died, he thought he had taken care of everything. He even left a will expressing his wish for his two children to share the lakefront property he had owned for over 50 years. Unfortunately, sometimes, wishes don't come true. The traditional will his...
12 Questions to Ask an Estate Planning Attorney BEFORE Working With Them
I often get asked, "How much does it cost to do an estate plan?" It's difficult to answer that question without understanding more about your family, your situation, and explaining more about our process. If you called a contractor and said, "I want to build a house....
9 Communication Strategies for Dealing With Aging Parents
"Old age ain't no place for sissies." ~Bette Davis I'm sure nearly all of us can conjure up a difficult or frustrating conversation that we've had with aging parents or grandparents. It can be challenging even on a good day, but throw in medical decisions,...
Estate Planning is Like… Backing Into a Parking Place
Do you back into your parking spots or just pull in? How you pull into parking spots may determine what kind of estate planner you are. Read on to find out where you fall. At Ritz's Diner one morning there was a whole row of trucks that were backed into their parking...