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Avoiding Common Probate Pitfalls: A Guide for Families
Navigating the probate process can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Taking the time now to learn about the probate process and understand some of the more common probate pitfalls and roadblocks can help you and your family avoid unnecessary stress and...
Secrets: What Your Children Need to Know About Your Estate Plan
Sometimes secrets can be really fun. In fact, I remember back when our daughter was four years old my wife and I kept a big secret from her. We were surprising her with a trip to Walt Disney World for her upcoming birthday, in conjunction with an estate planning...
Plan for Aging BEFORE a Crisis Occurs
January is a time for planning. We plan to eat healthier, exercise more, stick to a budget, or be more productive with our time. We often plan for big life events—like college, marriage, children, or retirement, but do we plan to age well? Humans are living longer...
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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?
Protect Your Digital Assets the Easy Way
A few years ago it was fairly unusual to think of including digital assets in your estate plan. These days it is just too important to ignore. So much of our lives happen online. It is crucial to now consider these things when creating an estate plan. What is a...
7 Things To Do BEFORE Your Parent Goes To a Nursing Home
Taking care of these seven things before your parent goes to the nursing home will save you time, money, and heartache. The decision to go into a nursing home is rarely an easy one, but there are things you can do to make the transition is a little easier. In this...