Archive for December, 2010

Planning with Life Insurance

By David Edwards on Dec 21, 2010 in Asset Protection, Business or Farm, Divorce Risks, Estate Tax, For Your Business, For Your Kids, Kids' Inheritance, Marriage & Remarriage, Tax, Wills and Trusts

We often use life insurance as a tool in helping clients. Life insurance is important in many estate-planning situations, such as the following: A young family. To help raise the kids and get them through college if a parent dies young. Business owners. A buy-sell agreement between partners in a business is important. But the [...]

Approaching End of Life Issues With Forethought

By Joshua on Dec 17, 2010 in Disability, End of Life, Power of Attorney, Wills and Trusts

It seems rare these days to see someone approach the end of their life with dignity. Elizabeth Edwards gave her family and the whole world a gift last week as the culmination of her brave battle with cancer ended when she decided to withdraw treatment and go home. In this very well written article from [...]

Pre-nups, Not Just for Divorces Anymore

By David Edwards on Dec 14, 2010 in Asset Protection, Asset Protection Trusts, Divorce Risks, For Your Kids, Funding and Asset Titling, Kids' Inheritance, Marriage & Remarriage, Parents

What does a pre-nup have to do with estate planning? Let me tell you. A pre-nuptial, or pre-marital agreement, outlines how a married couple will handle their assets. It covers more than what happens in a divorce. If we assume the couple will be happily married forever, here are still at least 2 situations that may need planning ahead: [...]

Estate Planning for Your Pets

By David Edwards on Dec 13, 2010 in Wills and Trusts

There’s an old court case that goes something like this. A very rich man once left his black cat to his long-time maid, along with a trust fund to be used for the cat’s care and a stipend to the maid. The trustee began to get suspicious when the cat lived a LONG time. Either something strange was [...]

$14 Million Gone In Just 12 Years! What will your kids do with their inheritance?

By David Edwards on Dec 08, 2010 in Asset Protection, Asset Protection Trusts, Grandchildren, Kids' Inheritance, Leave a Legacy, Parents, Wills and Trusts

Check out this stunning article about blown inheritances: Family’s Fall from Affluence is Swift and Hard You might expect a story about blown inheritances to exclusively belong to the twenty-something crowd, but in a recent article from The New York Times we see that it can happen to anyone, no matter their age. Quick money can disappear just as quickly [...]

Quiz: Is My Family Ready for Their Inheritance?

By David Edwards on Dec 02, 2010 in Asset Protection, Kids' Inheritance, Wills and Trusts

quiz on your estate plan: does your plan prepare your children for their inheritance? Take our True False Quiz about wills and trusts and protecting your family’s wealth, business, farm, or savings