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Honoring Your Sacrifice: Estate Planning Essentials for Military Families

Each year on November 11, the nation pauses to honor the courage and sacrifice of those who’ve served in ...

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Latest Articles

There is no shortage of advice flying around about estate planning, much of it from people who aren't even lawyers. Get insight on the popular pitfalls and how emerging economic shifts like cryptocurrency can affect your plan.

Protecting Our Family When It Matters Most

A drama currently playing out in a French courtroom demonstrates that any elderly person can fall victim ...

No More Reasons for Delay in Implementing These 5 Estate Planning Essentials

Last year’s uncertainty about the future of the estate and gift tax caused many people to put their estat...

Help for Dealing with a Parent’s Dementia Diagnosis

Alzheimer’s Disease is in the news again thanks to Academy Award winner Julianne Moore’s performance in t...

The Basic Estate Planning Task EVERY Adult Needs to Review Today

With the federal estate tax exemption at $5.43 million for 2015, many people think estate planning is unn...

Robin Williams’ Family Fight Over Personal Property Not So Funny

Robin Williams’ wife Susan has gone to court over personal items she says were taken from the couple’s Ti...

Reasons to Establish a Trust (and Being Rich Isn’t One of Them)

When you hear the words, “trust fund,” do you conjure up images of stately mansions and party yachts? A t...

No One Feeling Good About Continuing Battle Over James Brown Estate | PFL®

James Brown was known for his signature song, “I Feel Good,” but no one is feeling good about the battle ...

“And the Estate Planning Oscar Goes To...” Lessons on Film About Family

The film “Black Heirlooms” has not received any Oscar nominations. It was made by 32-year-old Amanda Brow...

Why Everyone Needs an Agent

Everyone needs an agent – and not the Hollywood type. An agent is someone you designate to handle your es...

Life Lessons From Celebrity Deaths on Updating Your Estate Plan

A new year always brings the sad reviews of notable personalities who have died in the past year. Two not...

10 Tips to Ensure Family Harmony Over Your Estate Plan

When your children were small, you no doubt suffered the challenge of keeping peace in the family. We see...

Why You Should Get Estate Planning Off Your To-Do List in 2015

There are many goals most of us want to accomplish in life, and some of the most important ones center on...

Joan Rivers Has Last Laugh Through Use of a Family Trust

Famous comedienne, Joan Rivers, who died unexpectedly on September 4, 2014, from what is alleged to be a ...

‘Tis the Season to Be Gifting: How to Do It Right

Not many people would view the IRS as a charitable organization, but you might if you plan your gifting a...

Senior Drivers and Safe Driving

One of the uncomfortable moments of life for many people is when they try to address automobile ownership...

Special Needs Trust: Protection for Those Who Need It the Most

Families of those with disabilities - physical or mental - are typically concerned with the best way to f...

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to...Diamonds? Creating an Ever-Lasting Memorial Through Science

Here are two scientific facts: Diamonds are forever. We are not. However, through science, there is now a...

How to Reduce the Cost of Long-Term Care Insurance | PFL®

A person who turns 65 today has a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care at some time in their...

The Final Log-Off: What Happens to Your Data When You Die?

Take a moment and consider how much of your life you live online. If you are like most of us, you bank, p...

5 Reasons Why You Need to Review Your Estate Plan

Creating an estate plan to protect your financial future and that of your family is just the first step i...

Leave an Inheritance for Future Generations with a Trusteed IRA

According to the Investment Company Institute, the use of IRAs for retirement saving has increased in the...

Supreme Court Decision Makes Inherited IRAs Fair Game in Bankruptcy

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has changed the way inherited IRAs are viewed when it comes to bankr...

How to Create a Lifetime of Care for a Special Needs Child

Parents of children with special needs usually share one overriding concern: what will happen to my child...

Lauren Bacall's Estate: Lessons in Avoiding Estate Planning Pitfalls

Legendary Hollywood actress Lauren Bacall died on August 12, 2014, leaving behind an estate estimated at ...

7 Things To Think About Before Making Gifts to Grandchildren

If you have grandchildren - or are getting ready to welcome one like political power couple Bill and Hill...

The 4 Key Life Skills Your Children Need to Have Before They Inherit

Inherited wealth need not be “an albatross around the neck of the children” as Sting so succinctly put it...

How to Prepare Your Heirs to Receive, Protect and Grow Their Inheritance

When we think of vast family wealth, most of us know the name Cornelius Vanderbilt, the railroad and ship...

Financial Self-Protection Tips for the Newly Single

Whether you have a lost a spouse or partner through divorce or death, being thrust into singlehood can be...

Why Inheriting in Trust is a Must

You bring your children into the world with love. You raise them with love. If you’re going all the way a...

The Last Important Gift to Give Your Family

As hard as it is for all of us to “plan” for our deaths, doing so is one of the best things you can do fo...

Robin Williams: A Lesson in Deeds, Not Words + One Error in Planning

One of the most eloquent responses to Robin Williams’ death came from his best friend Billy Crystal, who ...

How to Protect Your Real Estate Assets

If you own real estate, chances are you have purchased insurance to protect your assets against damage or...

If You Don’t Trust Your Kids with Money, You Need a Trust

While most parents have the best intentions when it comes to teaching their children about handling finan...

Estate Planning Lessons from Casey Kasem's Family Feud | PFL®

Casey Kasem, the celebrity radio host who counted down America’s Top 40 popular songs for years, died on ...

Ask These 5 Questions Before Gifting Assets

Gifting assets can be a useful estate planning tool if you need to reduce your estate tax bill or for lon...

Legal Steps to Take When Facing a Dementia Diagnosis

Maria Shriver knows the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease firsthand. Her beloved father Sargent Shriver,...

Before You Take Off for Summer Vacation, Take On These 5 To-Dos

It’s no surprise that Americans spend more time planning their summer vacations than they do planning the...

A Plan for Protecting Your Most Valuable Asset: Your Children

If you have young children, chances are that your summer activities include some careful planning to keep...

Will the Inheritance You Leave Be a Blessing or an Albatross?

Rock musician Sting recently announced that his children will not inherit his estimated $300 million fort...

The Legal Planning You Need to Do for Your High School Graduate

If you’re the parent of a high school graduate this year, congratulations! You’ve put in a lot of time an...

How Real Men Celebrate Father’s Day

Do you know what it takes to be a real man? Although the expectations of both men and women have evolved ...

Greatest Wealth Transfer in History Underway – What’s Your Plan?

A new study from the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy shows that the greatest wealth tran...

How to Balance Family Memories with Future Plans for a Vacation Home

Summer has officially arrived and for those of us fortunate enough to have a vacation home – whether it’s...

Your Memorial Should Be More Than Just Money

One of the most striking aspects of the recent opening of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum...

Unconditional Love Doesn’t Have to Mean Unconditional Inheritance

Most parents love their children unconditionally and want to do whatever they can to smooth life’s rough ...

Go to Walmart for Bananas, Not Estate Planning

Did you know that the best-selling item at Walmart is bananas? It’s true, and has been for several years....

7 Steps to Creating an Estate Plan That Keeps Your Family Out of Court

Many people fail to create an estate plan because they don’t truly understand what is involved and theref...

The Wealth Creation Trust: A Gift That Keeps On Giving

The perfect gift for your child or grandchild on the occasion of their birth, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Sweet 1...

Vacations Are the Perfect Time for Families to Talk About Estate Planning

If you are like most Americans, you will probably be spending at least some of your vacation time this su...

Why DIY Estate Planning is a Bad Idea For the People You Love

America is a nation of do-it-yourselfers, but building a deck and creating a legally valid estate plan ar...

Law and Disorder: The Jerry Orbach Estate Battle | PFL®

Jerry Orbach, who starred as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the popular “Law and Order” television series, d...

Give While You Live to Avoid a Family Feud

A recent article in the New York Post about brothers battling over a painting from their uncle’s estate s...

What’s Changed In Your Life?

Estate planning is not a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. Your life changes, your assets change, the...

Another Actor’s Estate Plan Screwed Up By His Lawyer

Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s will has been filed for probate and provides a cautionary ta...

How Advance Medical Directives Became a Way of Life in One American Town

With just over 50,000 residents, La Crosse is a lot like other small American towns – but there is one th...

Does anyone still spank children?

Pediatrician Dr. Bill Sears is the author of more than 30 books on childcare, has appeared on dozens of n...

Subject: Receiving an Inheritance One Day? Here’s What to Do Now.

Baby boomers are set to inherit up to $8.4 trillion over the next 15 years, according to The Center for R...

5 Fast & Furious Estate Planning Lessons from Paul Walker’s Estate | PFL®

Paul Walker, who starred in the Fast & Furious movie franchise, died tragically in a high speed car a...

How to Protect Life Insurance Proceeds from Taxation

If you have been responsible enough to purchase a life insurance policy as added protection for your love...

A Prolonged Death Provides Lessons for the Living

Everyone agreed on one thing: Marlise Munoz was dead. The 33-year-old Texas wife, mother and paramedic go...

The Perfect Solution for Choosing Your Child’s Guardian

If you have minor children and have not yet selected a guardian, you are not unlike many parents who put ...

4 Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Money

Asset protection is not something most people think too deeply about. Most of us are busy trying to accum...

How to Preserve a Family Vacation Home with a Trust

If you are fortunate enough to have a family vacation home, you know the emotional value it holds for eve...

How to Use Estate Planning to Leave a Legacy Beyond What You Own

Your estate is made up of everything you own, which includes your personal possessions as well as your ho...

Think About Your Beneficiary Designations Over the Holidays

When you look around your holiday table this year, you will probably not be thinking about the beneficiar...

How to Pass Along Family Heirlooms Peacefully

A recent Wall Street Journal article noted that boomers and seniors are more interested in passing along ...

6 Tax Questions to Ask Before Year-End

Everyone’s “to-do” lists seem to grow longer at this time of year, but yours is incomplete until you ask ...

10 Estate Planning Questions to Ask Before Year-End

If you have not revisited your estate plan this year following the changes made to the estate and gift ta...

7 Reasons to Consider a Trust for Your Family

Do you consider trusts to be instruments of the wealthy? While it is true that many Americans of means ha...

10 Tips for Charitable Giving This Holiday Season

According to a recent Forbes article, Americans donated more than $316 billion to charity last year – and...

How to Create a Plan to Ensure Your Pet’s Care

Most of us who have a pet consider them to be a part of the family; unfortunately, the plans we may have ...

New Help for Financial Caregivers

If you are helping an elderly parent or relative manage their finances or have been given a power of atto...

Why Estate Planning is for Life, Not Death

We know that no one likes to think about death, especially their own. Which is why many people procrastin...

Tips & Rules for Estate Executors and Administrators

If you have been named the executor of someone’s estate or the Trustee of a Trust, you may be unaware of ...

How to Care for Children with Special Needs Through Estate Planning

For many people, the basics of estate planning are simple enough, but for those families with loved ones ...

Consider Your Estate Plan Before You Travel

We are fast approaching the holidays, when travel is the busiest and careful planning is necessary to nab...

How Much Do You Charge for a Will?

If you came to this page to find out what I’ll charge you for a Will or you are considering calling me (o...

Family Wealth Planning: The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do Now to Feel Better About Yourself As a Parent – and Leave the World a Better Place – No Matter How Much Money You Have in the Bank

If you are like most of the parents I know, you feel guilty. It’s what parents do. Whether your guilt is ...

How to Get Your Boomerang Kid Off Your Couch & Ensure He Becomes an Adult You Are Proud to Say You Raised

A recent Economist article says a “perfect storm” of the poor economy of the past few years, resulting in...

Windsor Ruling Expands Estate Planning Prospects for Married Same-Sex Couples

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Windsor invalidated the federal Defense of Mar...

The 10 Keys to Planning and Living Your Best Retirement

Three-day weekends like the Labor Day just passed give us all the tiniest snippet of a glimpse into what ...

Taking the Complexity Out of Estate Planning

Remember that old joke: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time. At the heart of that gag ...

Divorce After 50: Common Mistakes That Can Ruin Retirement

Beyond the emotional impact that divorce can have on couples of any age that decide to split, it can have...

7 Good Reasons You Need An Estate Plan -- Even If You Only Have $500 in the Bank

Contrary to popular belief, estate planning is not just about money or taxes. Far from it. Today, it’s mo...

Why You Should Get Your Kids an Estate Plan

We are fairly certain the last thing your 18-year-old kid is thinking about is an estate plan. And you ar...

How to Reduce the Risk of Identity Theft When a Loved One Dies

A new trend in identity theft – afterlife identity theft – is on the rise, with thieves scouring obituari...

7 Steps for Effectively Managing an Inheritance

Research shows that a majority of baby boomers will receive an inheritance at some time during the lives,...

Learn From the Expensive Mistakes & Smart Decisions Made By Actor James Gandolfini In Planning for His Estate

James Gandolfini, the actor best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano on HBO’s The Sopranos, died sudd...

Planning for What Happens Last

Seth Godin is a well known and oft-quoted American entrepreneur who has authored 13 best sellers that hav...

Making a Plan for Your Digital Assets

According to a 2011 McAfee study, Americans value the digital assets they own across multiple digital dev...

How to Ensure Your Life Insurance Benefits Go to Your Heirs

Recently, 11 major life insurance companies agreed to pay $763 million to the heirs of deceased policyhol...

Make a Contract With Your Teen Driver This Summer

It’s summer and that means more teen drivers on the road. Statistics show teens have twice as many accide...

The Talk You Need to Have With Your Parents

When you were a kid, your parents dreaded the talk they had to have with you. You know the one. Well, now...

10 Common Errors When Naming Life Insurance Beneficiaries That Will Hurt the People You Love – and How to Fix Them

If you make a mistake in naming beneficiaries for your life insurance policy, the people you love will en...

How to Avoid Family Conflict When Making an Estate Plan

Unfortunately, money has a habit of bringing out the worst in people, even in the best of families. One o...

For Estate Planning, There is No Fix –It-And-Forget-It

It’s hard to believe that people who spend a lifetime working hard to accumulate wealth spend little or n...

6 Cases When a Trust is Better Than a Will

A will is one of the most basic estate planning documents, and everyone should have one to make sure that...

Best Mother’s Day Gift Ever? The Kids Protection Planning Kit®

By now, the flood of floral commercials has already reminded us that Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12. But ...

5 Key Decisions to Make With Your Spouse Before You Retire

Retirement decision-making for boomers is very different than it was for our parents, when it was usually...

The Digital Afterlife Debate: What Happens to Your Online Assets After You’re Gone

The digital afterlife debate over who owns the online assets of someone who has died has been in the news...

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