What happens if I die without a will? This is an important question when thinking about the goals you have for your family. Without a will or an estate plan, you already have a plan- your state's plan. Without a will, your estate will need to go through the probate process. Probate is a [...]
With so many misconceptions around estate planning, it's important to ask why is estate planning important? Many think that needing an estate plan is only important if you're extremely wealthy, but that couldn't be further from the truth. There are many aspects to estate planning that apply to literally anyone. Sure, the more complex [...]
Money is typically what comes to mind first when one thinks about estate planning, but how do you split personal items in an estate? Of course its important to plan how your assets will be distributed after you're gone, but your personal items may be even more valuable to your heirs. Your money won't hold [...]
Family dynamics are constantly changing and with our families expanding, it's important to understand what blended families should know about estate planning. A blended family is a family formed by marriage or partnership that brings children from previous relationships. While estate planning for blended families may seem more complicated, it's still important to cover [...]
Administering your spouse’s estate plan after losing him or her is the last thing you want to think about. It may seem unnecessary to need to review and administer an estate plan during such a time of grief. But there may be decisions that need to be made sooner rather than later. In many cases [...]
With end-of-life planning, you won't leave your family scrambling to make decisions during an emotional time. No one wants to think about the end of their life but doing so with a plan for the end will only show your loved ones how much you care. End of life planning is a part of estate [...]
Losing a loved one is never easy. No matter the circumstances, going through the process of grieving a loved one is one of the hardest things we go through in life. Grieving a loved one just after losing them is arguably the most difficult part. This isn’t the time when you want to be [...]
We’ve all heard stories of lottery winners who have gone bankrupt. While an impending inheritance for you may not be on the same level as winning the lottery jackpot, there are still things you should be aware of when it comes to smart ways to handle an inheritance. Your inheritance may include more than [...]
Most people think there are certain “qualifications” when it comes to who needs an estate plan, but the truth is that there are estate planning documents needed in each stage of your life. Whether you are 18 or 81, have millions in your retirement accounts or feel crushed by student debt, there are steps that [...]
A common question when it comes to estate planning is “what happens if I don’t have a will?” The probate process will vary by state, but not having an estate plan can be stressful for your loved ones when the time comes or an emergency arises. This can be especially harmful if you have young [...]
