Estate Planning Is Essential
I heard today on the radio that people who are perpetually late live longer. If that is the case, I’m going to live a long time. In fact, in study done in 2000 said there was a 75% probability for men living to the age of 78, 50% probability of living to 85 and a …
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, LEGALLY SPEAKING
The information in this column is not intended as legal advice but to provide a smile during this holiday season. Any readers with a legal problem should lighten up this week, life is precious, so enjoy your family and friends now and join the real world after January 1,, 2025. It is time again …
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GET OUT AND VOTE
The information in this column is not intended as political opinion or promotion but to provide an incentive to VOTE. Well, here we are in the middle of what may be the greatest voter turnout in history. It is exciting to see. For the next 2 weeks you can early vote in the 2020 election …
Steps to Help Get Started on Estate Planning
You need an estate plan. This is true even if you don’t have a lot of assets. It’s also true if you’re young, or if you don’t have close family members. Estate planning means preparing for the inevitabilities of life. People get sick or hurt, and you need a plan in place to determine what …
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Gifting Is An Estate Planning Tool
The wisdom of making a Will is well settled as sound legal advice, and rightly so. Less talked about, but equally advisable for many people, is the use of gifts during one’s lifetime as a method for estate planning. Apart from the intangible benefits that flow from the fact that, as the saying goes, it …
What to do when your child turns 18!
A parent generally feels as though they are losing control of their teenage child. But when he/she turns 18, then the state considers your child to be an adult with the legal right to govern his or her own life. Yikes! Becoming independent is all part of growing up. However, most parents are still footing …
Estate Planning for the Non-Traditional Family
Both unmarried opposite-sex partners and same-sex partners will want to provide protection for their relationship and for the other partner in the event one partner becomes incapacitated. Legally married or not, due to the controversial nature of these relationships, these partners will need to create legal documents which allow the non-disabled partner to care for and manage the disabled partner’s affairs. Unfortunately, many families are not ready to accept these lifestyles and the potential for conflict exists.
Worries of the Sandwich Generation
I urge you, whether you find yourself taking care of parents and young children or even if you have no children, make the time to sit down with an attorney experienced in estate planning. Such an attorney should be trained and familiar with estate planning and probate. The advice they provide will assist you in making the best and least complicated plan to take care of both parents and children if that is the need.
ENSURE YOUR FINANCIAL PRIVACY
There is a federal law that affords consumers significant say over the privacy of their financial information while still allowing financial institutions to share information for normal business purposes. This Act covers banks, savings and loan institutions, credit unions, insurance companies, securities firms, and even some retailers and automobile dealers that extend or make arrangements for consumer credit.