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Effective Tools for Estate Planning: Dynasty Membership
Edwards Group has many useful tools in its so-called toolbox to help you effectively plan. One of these tools is our Dynasty Membership. Much like protecting other big investments in your life, like changing the oil in your car or replacing the roof on your house,...
IMPORTANT info for Veterans and their Spouses
Do you know anyone who is a veteran? Are they over the age of 65, and did they serve during wartime (World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War)? If they are struggling with the challenges of aging – activities of daily living, living independently, grappling with the...
How to Save the Family Farm from Nursing Home Costs
Family farming revolves around the land. Farmland is often passed down from generation to generation. The assets, skills, and work ethic that have been poured into the farm are the family's legacy. The act of passing on the land to one's children is a rite of passage...
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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...
Establishing Financial Success in a Blended Family
Attorney David Edwards recently co-wrote a book with Ron Deal and Greg Pettys. This article is adapted from that book -- The Smart Stepfamily Guide to Financial Planning: Money Management Before and After You Blend a Family. Forming a Togetherness Agreement creates a...
Unhappy With Your Will? 6 Reasons Why That Might Be…
You took that big step. You found an attorney and you finally got a Will. So why don't you feel better? You should be experiencing peace of mind, but instead you're still experiencing that nagging worry at the back of your mind. Unfortunately, this happens to a lot of...
What To Do When a Loved One Dies at Home
Our clients often come to us as a resource for questions not related to estate planning, and we are more than happy to help when they do. "What happens when a loved one dies in my home?" Like we said, sometimes our clients call us with questions that aren't directly...
Estate Planning is Like… Visiting a Doctor
"My toe hurts!" That's what I told the emergency room doctor when I was about 2.5 years old. (I'm the baby in the picture, just a little before this story happened.) My granddad was headed to the grocery store, and I wanted to go with him. I didn't have shoes on, but...
10 Early Warning Signs of Dementia and Legal Tools to Help
Increasing rates of dementia are creating unique challenges when it comes to aging in the United States. Currently, there are 5.7 million people living with Alzheimer's in the U.S. It is expected that 1 in 6 women and 1 in 10 men living past the age of 55 will develop...
Living Longer: It’s a Blessing, If You’re Prepared
Here's some good news: people are living much longer these days! So much so that there's a new field in estate planning. It's called Life Care Planning. This type of planning doesn't focus solely on a "death plan." Instead, it focuses on using strategies to make the...