January 29, 2021 •
Estate Planning ![]()
Early in 2021, you should communicate with your advisers and review several items about your 2020 planning, if that planning is to have any likelihood of succeeding.
Read MoreJanuary 28, 2021 •
Estate Planning 
A letter of last instruction is a document that outlines funeral planning processes and arrangements. A letter of last instruction should not be confused with a will or testament, which is a legal document that expresses an individual’s wishes on how and to whom their estate should be transferred after their death.
Read MoreJanuary 27, 2021 •
Estate Planning ![]()
Unfortunately, only about a third of U.S. adults had an advance directive in recent years, according to one research analysis.
Read MoreJanuary 26, 2021 •
Estate Planning ![]()
Is there a person on the planet who doesn't love the Peanuts characters? Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Pigpen, Schroeder, and the gang are the iconic creations of Charles Schulz. In fact, it is still so popular that they earned Schulz's estate $32.5 million over the last year, two decades since his death due to cancer.
Read MoreJanuary 25, 2021 •
Estate Planning ![]()
If you haven't reviewed your beneficiary designations recently, you may be setting your heirs and estate up for some unpleasant surprises.
Read MoreJanuary 22, 2021 •
Estate Planning ![]()
For some older homeowners, a reverse mortgage can be a way to supplement retirement income, consolidate debts or cover expenses, like health care. For scam artists, they can be a lucrative tool to fleece people in their 60s and up out of large sums of money, or even their homes.
Read MoreJanuary 21, 2021 •
Estate Planning ![]()
A majority of retirees—53%—have a last will and testament. However, most lack six other crucial legal documents.
Read MoreJanuary 20, 2021 •
Estate Planning ![]()
Powers of attorney come in different forms, each suited for a specific purpose. They serve as useful tools in any estate-planning effort.
Read MoreJanuary 19, 2021 •
Estate Planning ![]()
Everything each spouse earns during their marriage is community property. Fortunately, a gift or inheritance is separate property. However, that’s only half the battle.
Read MoreJanuary 18, 2021 •
Estate Planning ![]()
Like a lot of estate planning vehicles, irrevocable trusts work very well for some purposes—particularly for tax avoidance and asset protection—and not so well for other purposes.
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