What to know about creating wills for seniors? More than three quarters of Americans aged 65 and above have a will nowadays, although that number drops significantly to just over half of all Americans aged 50 to 64. This is good news for millions of adults, as even a simple will can go a long
read more
Do you have estate planning goals for 2022? For most people, an estate plan consists of a last will and testament, with perhaps a few funerary wishes or personal requests. The simpler, the better. But comprehensive estate plans – with multiple documents and beneficiary designations – are not solely within the purview of the rich
read more
What does estate planning for blended families look like? Polling results from 2015 estimate that about one in six children lives in a “blended family”, which defines any family with a stepparent, stepsibling, or half-sibling. Furthermore, over 60 percent of remarried women marry into a blended family. There are estimates that at least half of
read more
A contingent beneficiary is someone who inherits either if the primary beneficiary cannot, or if certain conditions have been fulfilled. To put it into an example, if you decide to leave your house to your three children, you may place the eldest as the primary beneficiary of the house and name your second child as
read more
So, what happens if someone dies without a will? Dying without a will is called dying intestate. It means dying without testament, specifically one’s legal testament regarding the management and distribution of one’s belongings and possessions after death. Dying without a will means having everything you own automatically distributed among your next of kin as
read more
Estate planning vs wills – what’s it all about? When setting up the ideal estate plan, it helps to have basic knowledge of how estate plans are structured before talking to a professional. Estate plans are not exclusive to the rich and famous, and they need not be complicated. The average estate plan begins and
read more
When we pass away, our possessions and belongings must be distributed among the living. Under most circumstances, the order in which what we once owned is distributed depends on whether we left behind a will before dying. Dying without a last will and testament means dying without testament, or intestate. Every state has its own
read more
It’s never pleasant to think of the contingencies you might have to set in place to account for your death. Life is unpredictable, and things can happen when you least expect them. That’s why it’s essential to prepare for the unexpected by ensuring that our affairs are in order should the worst come to pass.
read more
When a person passes away, they leave behind assets, properties, and accounts that must be distributed among the living. Under most circumstances, it’s the decedent’s heirs and beneficiaries that receive the estate. But in what order, and what amounts? If a person left behind legal instructions on the matters of their estate, they died testate. If
read more
There are a few key benefits of a living trust including estate planning flexibility and benefits for the living. Let’s see if a living trust is the right option for you. Living trusts are one of the most effective and valuable tools in an estate planner’s arsenal. In contrast to a last will and testament, a
read more