Archive for May, 2008

Are You In the Dark About What Will Happen When Your Husband Dies?

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

A friend of mine from out of state asked me to review estate planning documents she is getting ready to sign before going out of town for the first time with her husband and without her kids. These documents were prepared by a traditional estate planning lawyer who sent her the ...

What Is Family Wealth Planning?

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Family Wealth Planning is the Web 2.0 version of estate planning. Whereas "estate planning" is about preparing and passing on your financial assets at the end of your life, Family Wealth Planning is about making the right financial and legal decisions for your whole family wealth throughout your lifetime and leaving ...

Trustee Checks and Balances

Friday, May 9th, 2008

In last week’s article “How to Choose the Right Trustee,” I mentioned that there are no trust police out there making sure that your Trustee is following the instructions set out in your Trust. That can be scary when you are entrusting your whole life savings and your kids’ ...

How To Choose the Right Trustee

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Before we talk about how to choose the right Trustee, let’s talk about what a Trustee does and whether you need to choose a Trustee. A Trustee is the legal owner of assets held in Trust. When you establish a Revocable Living Trust, you will be the Trustee of your ...