It’s an emotionally trying time. Mourning the loss of a parent is magnified, when the family home has to be emptied out and sold soon after they pass away. If other siblings live far away, it usually falls to the…
There are many different kinds of trusts, including ones designed to safeguard an inheritance. The spendthrift trust is a good tool in the estate planning toolbox for individuals who, for whatever reason, can’t manage money. Sometimes families need to recognize…
The stakes are high in a second-time divorce between film icon Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower. He is busy with lots of real estate deals and hates this kind of bad publicity. According to a recent article in Wealth…
On March 15, 2018, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the United States Labor Department acted outside of its authority by creating the fiduciary rule and no longer has authority to enforce this Obama-era protection for retirement savers.…
Chances of a second marriage lasting ‘til death do us part’ aren’t great, according to the U.S. Census. Only 40% of second marriages make it, and a whapping 60% end in divorce. Given these numbers, invest some time and serious…
Now that so much of our lives are lived online, we need a plan to prevent the loss of digital assets that include treasured family memories, financial accounts and, in some cases, entire businesses. The loss of a spouse creates…
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it has increased access to Medicare telehealth services. This means that Medicare beneficiaries can receive more benefits from their doctors without having to…
One of the reasons people delay creating an estate plan and trusts, is that they don’t know who to name as a trustee. That’s not a good reason to put off something this important. Your trustee may be in charge…
If you don’t remember the last time you reviewed your will, checked your beneficiaries on insurance policies or retirement accounts, that’s a big red flag: it’s time. There have been many changes in recent years to the laws that affect…
The rules for distribution notification depend upon a number of factors: is there a will or are the estate assets being distributed outside of probate? What if there’s no will? If a person dies with a will, their will must…