Most people are familiar with the estate planning document known as a last will and testament. Frequently regarded as the most basic of all estate planning documents, via a will, an individual can express his or her wishes with regard to the distribution of assets and...
While most people know that they should take steps to plan for what happens to their assets and belongings after they die, an alarming number of U.S. adults don't even have a will. In fact, according to an April 9, 2014 article in Forbes, 51 percent of Americans...
Individuals who take the time to establish an estate plan, often spent years creating and updating its provisions as their lives and financial and familial circumstances change. In cases where an individual has amassed a considerable amount of assets and plans to...
We have previously written about the benefits of sharing one’s thoughts about estate planning with one’s family and close friends. Especially if there is a risk that one’s estate plan will be fought over by frustrated relatives, talking about...
Anyone who grew up with one or more siblings can likely recall a time or two when you felt jealous of a brother or sister or that your parents favored a sibling over you. Many parents work very hard to try to create a family environment in which each child feels that...
In our last blog post, we began discussing ways that individuals with blended families can tailor their estate plans to provide for loved ones as they see fit. In our last post, we discussed how individuals who have children from a previous marriage or relationship...
Within the United States, the familial structure has never been so complex. Among those Americans who do marry, roughly 50 percent will eventually divorce; however, many of these divorcees will marry again. A 2013 report by the Pew Research Center revealed that four...
For many older Americans, a key estate planning goal centers on passing wealth and property down to children and grandchildren. Over the course of the next three to four decades, financial experts estimate that baby boomers will pass on upwards of $30 trillion to...
During 2014 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that, for the first time in recorded U.S. history, the percentage of unmarried adults surpassed those who are married. While nationally, an estimated 50.2 percent of U.S. adults are single, the number of single...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current life expectancy in the U.S. is roughly 78 years. Additionally, a recent Gallup poll revealed that the average retirement age in the U.S. is 62. This means that, on average, an individual must...
