estate planning

A revocable living trust is a great tool to help your assets pass smoothly to your beneficiaries, and it can significantly reduce the headaches of pr…

A personal story from a financial planner’s own family illustrates the importance of being prepared … and what happens when your parents aren’t.

Online accounts and digital media are valuable, and they could be misused, locked up or even lost if you don’t take the right steps. Your estate plan …

This is an important question to ask, because the answer could tell you whether you need to worry about estate taxes, beneficiary issues or probate co…

If you really want to help your heirs out, these are some of the best assets to leave them.

During this season of giving, take advantage of the annual gift tax exclusion before the year ends.

As the estate tax exemption amount increases, fewer estates are subject to the federal tax.

An owner's illness or death is a common reason for a pet being given up. However, here are some steps you can take to ensure your beloved companion is…

Even those who have saved and invested well may not be sharing their financial information with a spouse or loved one. It’s time to do that now.

The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t going away anytime soon. This global health crisis has proved especially dangerous for older Americans, a stark reminder t…

Some inherited assets are tax-friendly, but under new rules, others come with a hefty tax bill. We help you get the most out of a legacy.

You’ll likely need professional help, including an attorney with estate-planning experience, a tax pro and a financial adviser.

Where would your pets go if something happened to you? Who would take care of them, and how would their costs be covered? A pet trust could be the ans…

Just because you’re in the will doesn’t mean you’re sitting pretty. Also: Does October deserve its scary reputation for stocks?

Before you think about donating to charity, consider the source. Should you gift money from your stock portfolio or your traditional IRA or 401(k)? Wh…

If you want to protect your family’s legacy from unnecessary taxes, divorce and creditors over the course of many generations, a dynasty trust could b…

Life is messy sometimes. Divorce, bankruptcies and lawsuits happen, and they can potentially wipe out the inheritance you’ve carefully set aside for y…

True story: A father with three kids put them down as the beneficiaries of his nearly $250,000 401(k) account – but when he died, they got nothing. It…

When there is a large inheritance at stake (or even when there isn’t), it’s a great idea to get everyone on the same page. A family meeting can make t…

Several things can go wrong when a family tries to pass its wealth down to the next generation. To keep your own wealth transfer on track, keep these …

Spendthrift trusts include similar protections to an asset protection trust and are more widely respected in other states, but they also come with the…

Every so often, it’s smart to methodically go through your estate planning documents and see if any tweaks are needed. Here’s a checklist to guide you…

There are important differences between the two types of trusts, including the amount of control you'll have over your assets.

Being forced into conservatorship and losing all control over your life isn’t something that just happens in movies, like Netflix’s dark drama "I Care…

The reality is that life insurance is treated as an asset in your estate. And if the payout pushes your estate past federal or state estate tax exclus…

A bequest could change your life, but don’t quit your day job.