The majority of older adults believe estate planning is important, but less than half of those over 55 have a will, a living will, or health care directives. These documents help guide your representatives to provide the end-of-life wishes you…
A durable power of attorney is an essential estate planning document. It allows someone who you appoint (your agent) to make decisions on your behalf in the event you become incapacitated. If you have not appointed an agent then your…
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…
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.…
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…
You are likely to be asked to be power of attorney for an elderly or sick loved one at some point in your life. Your person may be planning for when they might become unable to take care of their…
The law describes estate planning as a legal document summarizing the property a person owns and how to distribute these assets when deceased. Property ownership includes individual as well as jointly owned bank accounts, stocks and bonds, retirement accounts, real…
The records conveying your final wishes for care and asset management are called powers-of-attorney documents, and these entrust an appointed person to act on your behalf when you are no longer able to. But when it comes to actually using…
When you have big life changes like births, marriages, divorces, and moving to another state, you should review your estate plan to make sure it is still current. Children grow up, marriages dissolve, property gets sold, residences change. That’s why…