Estate Planning

Once you’ve signed your estate planning documents—your will, powers of attorney and other important paperwork—you’re more prepared than most Americans. However, you’re not out of the woods yet. You need to make sure they’re ready

Any attorney can tell you it’s best to create your will while you’re healthy and in full command of all your resources. Unfortunately, though, some people just let time slip by. You need to know

I recently received a note from a woman whose mother had recently passed away. Her mother’s Will directed that her estate be divided equally among her three children. However, she had an IRA that listed

Even in very close families, discussions about estate planning are uncomfortable. It’s difficult to know the right time to bring up the subject, or even what to say. Children of elderly parents often worry that

Last Monday, I took the whole day off work. I turned off my computer after making just a couple of phone calls that couldn’t wait, and didn’t respond to any emails or work on any

When someone receives an inheritance during marriage, one of the most common questions that follows is whether that inheritance, or anything bought with it, belongs to them alone or to both spouses. The answer

I got a call yesterday from a woman, who I’ll call Sue, whose mother suffered a stroke. Sue’s mom was only 67 years old. The stroke left her completely incapacitated, unable to talk, write or

We Americans are an optimistic bunch. Despite our economic downturn, the majority of us are optimistic about our futures and being in control of our lives. Our optimism bleeds into our personal outlook for the