Most likely, you have a beneficiary, as beneficiary designations are common in retirement accounts, wills, and trusts. A beneficiary is an individual (or legal entity) to receive the proceeds from a financial product or vehicle when the owner passes away.…
We don't own much. Isn't it possible to put off planning until we are able to afford it? You shouldn’t. It is crucial to give legal authority to a person of your choice, to care for your children if anything…
At first glance, life insurance may not seem to have any bearing on how assets are distributed in your estate plan. However, life insurance can be an integral, indispensably important part of a well-thought-out estate plan. There are numerous other…
You have been asked to be trustee for the trust created by your friend Rose. You would be managing Rose’s property for her and for others whom she names as beneficiaries. You might be paying her bills and taxes, overseeing…
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, advance care planning and directives become more important than ever. Responses to vaccinations and understanding their efficacy, reinfection potential, and long-haul symptoms resulting from COVID-19 continue to baffle our scientific understanding. It appears the coronavirus…
Even though it can be a sobering experience to have frank and open discussions about your mortality with your family, you should do it nonetheless. No one relishes the thought of their demise, and yet with forethought, you can ensure…
When I am gone, I would like to leave my bank accounts to my children. Can’t I just make the children joint owners? That idea sounds better than it actually is. Yes, you would avoid court proceedings when you pass.…
According to Florida Today, 46 million Americans own the well-known crypto asset, Bitcoin and the number of people owning cryptocurrency is growing steadily. Bitcoin was created in January 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. This digital…
Imagining how we may die is probably one of the hardest things we will ever have to think about. Yet, if we want our dying to be meaningful and merciful, it is imperative that we think about it while we…
As attorneys, people ask us why they can’t just download a will from the internet, add the children to their bank account, and do a transfer-on-death land deed, for an estate plan. It’s just not a good idea. For the…