» Aging Issues

When people write their own wills without the assistance of attorneys, they often forget important steps and risk having their will invalidated. Such is the case with the will of one man from Minnesota. Gary Kruger was very close to his cousin. The t… Read More

Family business contributes to over 70 percent of global productions, but owners of them don't update their estate planning. It's estimated that over 50 percent of family business owners didn't update their estate planning documents fo… Read More

Succession planning is one of the most important aspects of passing on a farm to future generations, but having a conversation about it is not always easy. Jolene Brown, an Iowa farmer and professional speaker, and Nelson Schoon, certified financial… Read More

If you haven't considered using a revocable trust rather than a will as your main estate planning document, you could be making a critical mistake. A recent MoneyWatch article, “5 reasons you need a trust, not a will,” lists five reasons for… Read More

Who pays the bills in your house? If your house is like most, there is probably one person who handles most of the financial matters. Would you or your spouse be prepared to assume the role of managing the household finances if something happened to… Read More

How long will you live? It’s a key question in retirement planning. If you’re healthy and your family tree has branches with staying power, you may figure that you have decades ahead. If your parents died early of natural causes, you may assume a… Read More

Trusts can be a great way to update an estate plan, whether within a will or as a separate estate-planning tool. Trusts have a reputation for being something that most people don't have to worry about, with most seeing a trust as a vehicle for t… Read More

"Mistitling of assets is one of the prominent causes of failed estate plans," asserts Avani Ramnani, CFP®, director of financial planning and wealth management at Francis Financial, a wealth management firm in New York. What might go wrong… Read More