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3 Real-life Examples of Important Asset Protection
We’ve previously talked about asset protection, but before we jump into some real-life examples, let’s review: Asset protection is simply protecting the things you own. This could be your house, your savings accounts, your IRAs, farmland, etc. Life is unpredictable,...
What’s Worse Than Probate?
Today we're going to talk about what's worse than probate. But first, let's talk about what it is exactly. What is Probate? Probate is where the judge has to get involved in carrying out an estate after death. This means nothing can be done until the judge signs the...
Asset Protection — What Is It and Why Do You Need It
Estate planning can seem complicated, but often it's just because the vocabulary isn't familiar. Here is what you need to know about asset protection: What is asset protection? What risks should I protect against? What timelines should I consider when it comes to...
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A Quick Planning Tip to Get Organized
Getting organized is a key part of the estate planning process. Estate planning simply means you have a plan to handle your finances, your care, and your family when you can't do it anymore -- whether that's because of sickness or passing away. Everyone wants to be...
4 Things Everybody Should Know About Guardianship
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin has been in the news a lot recently. Aldrin, his children, and even his business manager, are embroiled in a lawsuit over whether Aldrin is competent to continue managing his finances and his life. Sadly, this guardianship feud between Aldrin and...
How to Protect My Kids From Wild Spending
So, where will your stuff go when you die? Think about it for a minute. Who will get your stuff and how much will they get? Will the inheritance you leave make a big difference in their financial lives? In many cases it will, and it may be a lot more money than they...
Who Needs a Life Care Plan?
In a recent blog post, we talked about the challenges that our extended lifespan creates these days. Because people are living into their 80's and 90's on a regular basis, this creates financial, physical, medical and emotional struggles. Seeing families struggle with...
New Medicare Cards Continue to Be Mailed Out
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to mail out new Medicare cards to residents of Illinois. The rollout started in June, but continues into July. Sadly, along with any big wholesale change like this (affecting roughly 60 million seniors...
4 Things You Can Do to Avoid a Messy Guardianship
You may have read in a previous post that Buzz Aldrin has been fighting with his children over his own competency. Aldrin's children are concerned that he is not able to make good choices any longer... In that same article we talked with Attorney Amanda Lundeen about...
3 Things to Do Before You Hit 70
Decision making gets harder as we age. Here are 3 crucial decisions you need to address before you turn 70. Researchers say that decision making gets harder as we age, even if we don't have dementia. What does this mean for you? There are many important decisions...
Mom Is Having Memory Trouble and the Family Is Worried
Every week we talk with several families who are worried about the challenges of aging and call us for help. Recently, a family was concerned about mom's declining memory and dementia. Mom is mostly unaware of her inability to handle things on her own and...
Elder Care Advisors: Helping People Age Well
These days, our extended life span creates a lot of challenges when it comes to managing the financial, physical, medical, and emotional reality of aging in America. We recently asked those who are facing retirement, or beginning to struggle with the challenges of...
What Is a Trustee and When Might You Need One?
You've probably heard of trusts and trustees before - most likely in the context of a rich kid living off of their trust fund. However, trusts are not just legal tools for the wealthy. We've talked about trusts before, and if you want to delve a little deeper into...