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Risks of an Old Will
Do you have an old will? Does it need to be updated? Most changes any estate plan faces can be summed up by examining the “3 L’s”: Life – What has changed in your family, your health or your finances since your last will was created? Law – What legal or tax...
Is a Trust Right for Me? 10 Ways a Trust Can Protect You or Your Family
Imagine you’re on a cloud looking down after you’re gone. You see all of your loved ones, and you see all the stuff you worked so hard for (like maybe your beloved house). What is happening? Are the people left behind doing what you hoped they would? Are your assets...
Do I need an attorney to assist with probate?
After losing a loved one, many people ask the question, “Do I need to hire an attorney?”That depends — do you know what needs to be done? Are you having problems transferring assets? If everything is in joint tenancy – meaning the survivor becomes the...
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Estate Planning: What’s in your tool box?
What tools do you want to use? Is this the first question that your contractor asks you when you decide to hire him to build a house? Or, if you're car stops running and you take it to the mechanic to be fixed, do you quiz him on which tools he plans to use...
How to pick an estate attorney – 4 questions to ask
Here are the questions I want any client to ask before they hire Edwards Group LLC to complete their estate plan.
Jigsaw Puzzles and Asset Titling
Let's think of estate planning as a puzzle. 1. WHAT'S THE PICTURE? Do you like to know what the picture is that you're putting together when you work a puzzle? In fact, when I go to buy a puzzle, I only have 2 criteria - the size (usually 500 pieces) and what the...
What to say at a funeral
I wanted to share a couple things from a conference I attended last week in Indianapolis with the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys. WHAT TO SAY AT A FUNERAL As you go through the receiving line at a funeral, visitation, or wake, do you know what to say?...
What is your job, what is the attorney’s job
Boring is defined as "so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness." Well, hopefully this post is not really boring, but I wanted to make a point. I have a theory that most of the estate planning information being said or written by attorneys out there is...
Wealth Transfer or Wealth Reception – Part #1
You might ask yourself: How do you define a successful estate plan? or How do you define a successful life?
Will your estate attorney outlive you?
Interesting article in State Journal-Register yesterday. Percentage of attorneys in Illinois who are are between 50-74 years old went from 22% in 1993 to 39% in 2008. https://www.sj-r.com/homepage/x2085729714/Number-of-lawyers-over-age-50-climbs?view=print Fairly...
Transitions in Life
BAILEY'S "NEW SCHOOL" At our house, we are in the middle of a transition. 2 1/2 year old Bailey is switching to a new daycare. For the last couple of years, Bailey has gone 2-3 days a week to her "school" (Memorial Childcare) when Michelle is working as a nurse at...
The Nursing Home – 5 Ways to Pay For It
How will you (or your parents or grandparents) pay for a nursing home?
Am I Your Type?
There are 4 types of estate planning: Do nothing. Let others sort it out later. Do it yourself. Get a form and fill in the blanks. How hard can it be? Use a document-driven attorney. Pay lots of money for a fancier form that someone else fills out for you. Use a...