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Estate Planning Made Easy: What You Need to Know for a Current and Effective Plan
Estate planning is an ongoing journey, not a one-time task. Remember when you finally finished creating your Will with your attorney? It was a huge task, and it probably felt like a significant achievement. However, if you stashed it away and haven't given it a...
7 Ways to Check On Aging Loved Ones This Holiday Season
The holiday season has arrived again, and there's a lot to do! Baking, shopping, decorating, planning, wrapping, etc. The hustle and bustle of the season will usually be followed by special times with our friends and family, so this is a great time to check in on how...
Social Security and SSI Benefits Increase in 2024: What Retirees Need to Know
As we approach the new year, important news has arrived for retirees across the nation. The Social Security Administration recently announced a 3.2 percent increase in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for 2024. This welcome news means...
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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...
Joint Ownership Seems So Fair and Easy…
Many families think that joint ownership will make things fairer or even help avoid probate. What they don't know is that it can really cause some problems. It can go a little something like this... Grandad left his property to Dad. Then when Dad passed away he left...
Old Assets Can “Stink” After a While
Years ago, when I was single, I went out of town and a few days later my condo neighbors called 'cause they smelled a terrible stench. Nothing had died, but turns out I had forgotten to take out the trash before I left. (Thanks Mom and Dad, who made arrangements to...
7 Questions to Ask Before the Age of 70
People are living longer than ever these days, and while that is a good thing, it definitely presents challenges. Regardless of you or your loved one’s stage in life, good planning requires that you ask good questions. And asking good questions can sometimes be...
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...
What is probate and why do people want to avoid it?
You may have heard people discuss probate and how horrible it is. But what in the world is probate? And why do people want to avoid it?