Estate Planning Basics

Estate Planning Tips That Prevent Family Feuds

November 2, 2011

When I was a girl, my mother enjoyed needlework. She would painstakingly sew for hours, crafting beautiful pieces like the one in the image above. My husband thinks that piece of needlepoint is a bit old fashioned, but I love it. For years it hung in the living room of my parents’ house, welcoming me [...]

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Strategies For Lawsuit-Proofing Your Estate

July 18, 2011

Forbes Associate Editor, Ashlea Ebeling, wrote a great article last week about estate planning strategies that can discourage a protracted legal battle after your death. The following are some of her suggestions, along with some of my commentary: 1. Treat siblings equally. Unequal distributions, such as cutting out a child in favor of grandchildren, or [...]

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Storing the Keys to Your Online Financial Lives

February 21, 2011

If you’re like many Americans, you pay most of your bills online. It’s so much easier. There are no checks to write, and no stamps to buy. In the click of a mouse, you’re all done. Easy! But if you were become incapacitated or die, would the agent you’ve chosen in a durable power of [...]

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Beyond Taxes: 10 Reasons Why Americans Without Taxable Estates Need an Estate Plan

January 31, 2011

NB: Rocket Lawyer Press invited me to contribute another guest post on an estate planning issue. Below is an excerpt of the article I wrote, as well as a link to the full article on the Rocket Lawyer website. Last December, the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans breathed a collective sigh of relief. The estate [...]

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What Would You Do If You Had 46 Days to Live?

September 20, 2010

Imagine visiting the doctor for what you thought was a minor illness, and being told instead that you had a rare disease that would take your life within two months. How would you want to spend your final days? Would you have the capacity to make important legal and financial decisions while dealing with the [...]

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Where Should I Store My Estate Planning Documents?

June 7, 2010

So you’ve gotten your estate planning done. Great! But now what? Where do you keep these documents so that they can be they can be used to carry out your wishes in the event of your incapacity or death? Here are a few suggestions: Estate planning documents can be stored in your home A secure [...]

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