11

Mar

Whom Should You Tell About Your Estate Plan?

Creating an estate plan is often a deeply personal process. After all, how you choose to protect and pass on your money and property is your private business. While your spouse or partner may know the details (especially if you planned together), should anyone else know what&rsqu...

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Category: Estate Planning


11

Mar

If I Leave Someone My Home, What Do They Really Get?

For many people, their home is their most valuable asset as well as the heart of their family life-a place filled with stories, memories, and meaning. Yet when it comes to estate planning, the law views your home not as a sentimental space, but as a collection of separate p...

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Category: Estate Planning


11

Mar

Parental Warning: How Joint Ownership Can Accidentally Disinherit Your Children

If you own your home, other property, or financial accounts jointly with someone (such as a spouse or an adult child), you may think you're making things easier for your loved ones. But depending on how that ownership is structured, you could be setting the stage for seriou...

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09

Mar

Ancillary Probate: What It Is, When It Happens, and How to Avoid It

Many people own property in more than one state. This might include a vacation home near the coast, a rental property in a former home state, or land inherited from family members. While owning out-of-state property can be beneficial during your lifetime, it can create additional...

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Category: Estate Planning


09

Mar

How to Own Your Real Estate: Estate Planning Options for Homes, Vacation Property, and Rentals

Real estate is often one of the most valuable assets in an estate. It may include your primary residence, vacation homes, rental properties, or even undeveloped land. Because each type of property serves a different purpose, the best way to hold title can vary depending on your g...

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Category: Estate Planning


09

Mar

How You Title Your Real Estate Matters

Real estate can be owned in several different ways, and the way your property is titled can have significant legal and financial consequences. Your ownership structure affects how much control you have over the property during your lifetime, how vulnerable it may be to creditors ...

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09

Mar

The Hidden Gender Gap in Estate Planning—and How to Close It

You have likely heard of the gender pay gap. But there is another, less-discussed disparity that also affects long-term financial security: the estate planning gender gap. Although the two are related in some ways-earning less over a lifetime can limit investment opportunit...

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Category: Estate Planning


06

Feb

Backup Plans Are Loving Too: Why You Need Contingent Agents and Guardians

Progressive Insurance recently rolled out a series of commercials featuring “backup” quarterbacks stepping in to handle everyday challenges, such as ordering food, giving advice, and even parking a trailer. After the “backup” salvages the situation, each c...

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06

Feb

The Hidden Burden: What It Really Means to be an Executor, Trustee, or Agent under a Power of Attorney

An 80-year-old widower relied on his adult daughter for help with his daily life and finances for more than a decade. During that time, she managed his finances under a valid financial power of attorney, handling savings, pension income, and proceeds from the sale of his home. Wh...

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06

Feb

Your Future Caregivers May Not Be Who You Think They Are

Experts warn of a growing national crisis unrelated to politics, the economy, or the usual headline grabbers. It is a caregiving crisis, and it now touches nearly one-fourth of American adults. That means that either you are already feeling the strain of caregiving, or there may ...

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23

Jan

Why Retirement Is the Right Time to Revisit Your Estate Plan

Retirement means different things to different people. For some, it marks the beginning of travel, creative pursuits, and long-delayed adventures. For others, it offers the freedom to slow down and enjoy quiet routines without the pressure of a daily work schedule. Most retirees ...

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23

Jan

When Your Parent Plans to Disinherit Your Sibling

When a parent makes the difficult decision to disinherit one of their children, the emotional weight of that choice rarely falls on only one person. While the sibling who is cut out may feel shock, grief, or betrayal, the siblings who remain included in the estate plan are often ...

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Category: Estate Planning