Awakened Planning: How to Talk About Estate Planning at Your Family Reunion

September 11, 2024

July is National Family Reunion Month and the perfect time to reconnect with family from near and far, sh...

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.

Awakened Planning: How to Talk About Estate Planning at Your Family Reunion

July is National Family Reunion Month and the perfect time to reconnect with family from near and far, sh...

Vacation Ready: Essential Legal Preparations for a Worry-Free Getaway

Vacations are a time to relax, unwind, and create beautiful memories with your loved ones. But before you...

Capturing the Stories of Aging Loved Ones: The Power of Family Wealth Legacy Interviews

May is Senior Citizen’s Month, a time to reflect and appreciate all the things the seniors in our lives h...

Want to Grow Wealth? Warren Buffet's Unexpected Investment Advice

If you are going to take investment and estate planning advice from anyone, Warren Buffett is likely one ...

4 Ways to Use AI to Make Life Easier for You and Your Family

Whether you’re turning on the news or scrolling through Instagram, it’s hard not to hear about AI technol...

4 Common Mistakes Made On Life Insurance Beneficiary Designations

Investing in life insurance is a foundational part of estate planning, and when done right it’s a primary...

Why Every Adult Needs A Living Will

When it comes to estate planning and wills, you have a variety of options for legal documents. The most c...

Green Funerals: 6 Eco-Friendly Options For Your Remains

The environmental costs of death are significant and constantly rising. With 8 billion people on the plan...

7 Issues To Consider When Purchasing Disability Insurance

If you earn a good living now, but you worry about not having enough money for a future time when you can...

5 Smart Ways To Pay For Your Funeral That Won’t Leave Your Family To Foot The Bill

With the cost of a funeral averaging between $7,000 and $12,000 and steadily increasing each year, at the...

Protect Your Aging Loved Ones From Undue Influence

Following the death of a loved one, close family members are sometimes surprised to learn that they didn’...

How Creating A Life & Legacy Plan Creates And Preserves Your Family's Legacy

When you think about loved ones who’ve passed away, you probably don’t think very much—or even at all—abo...

Protect Your Home, Family, and Assets From The Threat Of Natural Disasters

Over just the last two years, we’ve seen historic levels of damage caused by natural disasters in the U.S...

What To Expect From Your Initial Meeting With A Personal Family Lawyer®

Whether you’ve met with an estate planning lawyer before or it’s your first time, it’s important to under...

4 Reasons Why Estate Planning Is So Essential For Business Owners

If you are running a business, it’s easy to give estate planning less priority than your other business m...

5 Ways DIY Estate Plans Can Fail & Leave Your Family At Risk—Part 2

Do a Google search for “digital wills” or “online estate planning,” and you’ll find dozens of different w...

5 Ways DIY Estate Plans Can Fail & Leave Your Family At Risk—Part 1

Do a Google search for “digital wills” or “online estate planning,” and you’ll find dozens of different w...

Preventing Family Conflict And Disputes Over Your Estate Plan

No matter how well you think you know your loved ones, it’s impossible to predict exactly how they’ll beh...

One of The Greatest Gifts To Your Family Is The Plan For Incapacity

When it comes to estate planning, most people automatically think about taking legal steps to ensure the ...

Why Putting Your Family Home In A Trust Is A Smart Move—Part 2

This article is part two of a two-part series on the benefits of putting your home in a trust. Part one o...

FAQs About Long-Term Care Insurance

Our nation’s population is aging at a faster rate than ever before, and collectively we are living much l...

10 Things You Should Know About Living Wills

When it comes to estate planning, you’ve most likely heard people mention a couple of different types of ...

Think You Are Too Young to Need An Estate Plan? Think Again.

The pandemic has caused Americans to change their behavior in a number of different ways, and one of the ...

2021 Estate Planning Checkup: Is Your Estate Plan Up to Date?

Even if you put a totally solid estate plan in place, it can turn out to be worthless for the people you ...

How Estate Planning Can Bring Blended Families Closer

Yours, mine and ours … in today’s modern family, it’s oh so common. The blended family is the product of ...

Estate Planning Must-Haves For Single Parents

If you are a single parent, life for you right now probably couldn’t get any busier. You are likely being...

All You Need to Know About Including Digital Assets In Your Estate Plan—Part 2

Recent advances in digital technology have made many aspects of our lives exponentially easier and more c...

All You Need to Know About Including Digital Assets In Your Estate Plan—Part 1

Recent advances in digital technology have made many aspects of our lives exponentially easier and more c...

Britney Spears’ Conservatorship: The Vital Importance Of Incapacity Planning—Part 2

Since the age of 16, when she burst onto the charts with her debut single, “...Hit Me Baby One More Time,...

Britney Spears’ Conservatorship: The Vital Importance Of Incapacity Planning—Part 1

Since the age of 16, when she burst onto the charts with her debut single, “...Hit Me Baby One More Time,...

The Perfect Father’s Day Gift for Every Father

When you are a kid, finding a suitable gift for Father’s Day can be a struggle. You want to get Dad somet...

3 Vital Estate Planning Documents For High School Graduates

With the arrival of summer, young people across the country are about to reach a key milestone: high scho...

Just Married? 6 Estate Planning Essentials for Newlyweds—Part 2

As we head into the peak of wedding season, if you are a newlywed or are about to tie the knot, add “esta...

Just Married? 6 Estate Planning Essentials for Newlyweds—Part 1

As we head into the peak of wedding season, if you are a newlywed or are about to tie the knot, add “esta...

Looking for the Best Mother’s Day Gift Ever? Try The Kids Protection Plan

Although we initially planned to run part two of last week’s post on Aretha Franklin’s failed estate plan...

Consider This Before You Create Your Will Online

A last will and testament is the most commonly thought-of document when it comes to an estate plan. But r...

6 Ways The American Rescue Plan Can Boost Your Family’s Finances—Part 2

Signed into law on March 11th, President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) is ...

6 Ways The American Rescue Plan Can Boost Your Family’s Finances - Part 1

Signed into law on March 11th, President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) is ...

Managing Child Care While Dealing With Illness: Tips For Parents—Part 2

Even though there are now vaccines for the pandemic and the number of new cases is on the decline, becomi...

Managing Child Care While Dealing With COVID-19: Tips For Single Parents - Part 1

Even though there are now vaccines for COVID-19 and the number of new cases is on the decline, becoming i...

Managing Your Digital Afterlife: A Guide To Facebook’s Legacy Contact

If you use Facebook to share, track, and report on important life events, it can provide an intimate snap...

Moving To A New State? Remember to Update Your Estate Plan

Although you likely won’t need to have an entirely new estate plan prepared for you, upon relocating to a...

4 Tips For Talking About Estate Planning With Your Family Over the Holidays

With COVID-19 still raging, your 2020 holiday season may not feature the big family get-togethers of year...

5 Questions To Ask Before Hiring An Estate Planning Lawyer—Part 2

Since you’ll be discussing topics like death, incapacity, and other frightening life events, hiring an es...

5 Questions To Ask Before Hiring An Estate Planning Lawyer—Part 1

Since you’ll be discussing topics like death, incapacity, and other frightening life events, hiring an es...

Once Your Kids Are 18, Make Sure They Sign These Documents

While estate planning is probably one of the last things your teenage kids are thinking about, given the ...

The Need For a Go-Bag Is Even More Important During a Pandemic

In response to a series of wildfires that ravaged Southern California in 2017, we wrote a previous articl...

COVID-19 Highlights Critical Need for Advance Healthcare Directives—Part 2

In the first part of this series, we discussed the vital importance of having updated advance directives ...

COVID-19 Highlights Critical Need for Advance Healthcare Directives—Part 1

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the country, doctors across the nation are joining lawyers i...

Is It Time to Go Solo(preneur)?

There’s nothing like a major change in the economic climate to make you rethink your day job. “Business a...

Learning to Flourish, Even in a Financial Crisis

Maybe you, like many of us, have been raised to think that the safest way to live in the working world is...

The Basics of Disability Insurance and How It Can Help During COVID

With the risks still posed by COVID-19, we all need to face the possibility that we could get sick, even ...

Who Would Care For Your Children If You Got Sick With COVID-19?

The pandemic is causing us to consider a lot of things that we may not have before, even if maybe we shou...

How To Get Access to Your COVID Stimulus Money

It’s the beginning of the month, and bills are coming due. If you are stressed out, it’s important that y...

CORONAVIRUS: Impact to Your Wealth, Health and Happiness

While it’s still hard to tell how the Coronavirus will impact us in the long term, it’s become a subject ...

Kobe Bryant's Death Highlights Need for Estate Planning

As you no doubt already know, on January 26, 2020, basketball legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopt...

4 Things Trusts Can Do That Wills Can’t

Both wills and trusts are estate planning documents that can be used to pass your wealth and property to ...

Avoid These 4 Mistakes When Naming Life Insurance Beneficiaries

Investing in life insurance is a foundational part of estate planning. However, when naming your policy’s...

Don’t Let Diminished Financial Capacity Put Your Elderly Loved Ones At Risk—Part 2

In the first part of this series, we discussed the early warning signs of diminished financial capacity i...

Don’t Let Diminished Financial Capacity Put Your Elderly Loved Ones At Risk—Part 1

With more and more Baby Boomers reaching retirement age each year, our country is undergoing an unprecede...

5 Steps For Adding Digital Assets To Your Estate Plan

Although digital technology has made many aspects of our lives much easier and more convenient, it has al...

Don’t Let Your Kids Move Out Without Signing These Documents

Watching your kids leave home to attend college or start their career can be an emotional time for you as...

4 Year-End Tax-Saving Strategies for 2019

As we head towards the end of the year, we’re fast approaching the deadline to implement your family’s ta...

Understanding Your Life Insurance Settlement Options

Following the death of the policy holder, the way in which proceeds from a life insurance policy are paid...

Use Estate Planning to Ensure Your Legacy Doesn’t Get Erased

When you think about those loved ones who’ve passed away, you probably don’t think very much—or even at a...

Use Estate Planning to Avoid Adult Guardianship—and Elder Abuse

Elder abuse can take a wide variety of forms, but we think the worst of the worst is caused by unscrupulo...

Why You Need To Add a ‘When I Die’ File to Your Estate Plan

If you were to suddenly die today, would your loved ones know how to quickly find your estate planning do...

Safeguard Your Children's Inheritance With a Lifetime Asset Protection Trust

Last week, we discussed the benefits of a unique estate planning vehicle known as Lifetime Asset Protecti...

7 Processes to Complete With Your Parents Before They Die

In a recent Facebook post “Processes to go through with your parents before they die,” Daniel Schmachtenb...

The Real Cost To Your Family: Relying On A Will Alone

This is the second in an ongoing series of NLBM articles discussing the true costs and consequences of fa...

Avoid These 2 Common Causes For Dispute Over Your Estate Plan—Part 1

No matter how well you think you know your loved ones, it’s impossible to predict exactly how they’ll beh...

3 Warning Signs of a Financial Scam

Nobody likes to admit they’ve fallen for a financial scam, but the fact is, it’s easier than ever to get ...

The Real Cost To Your Family: Not Planning For Incapacity

This is the first in an ongoing series of NLBM articles discussing the true costs and consequences of fai...

6 Questions to Consider When Selecting Life Insurance Beneficiaries—Part 2

In the first part of this series, we discussed the first three of six questions you should ask yourself w...

6 Questions to Consider When Selecting Beneficiaries for a Life Insurance Policy

Selecting a beneficiary for your life insurance policy sounds pretty straightforward. You’re just decidin...

Luke Perry’s Death Demonstrates the Importance of Planning for Incapacity

In late February, Luke Perry, who became famous starring in the 1990s TV series Beverly Hills 90210, suff...

7 Events That Necessitate a Review of Your Estate Plan

Even if you put a totally solid estate plan in place, it can end up proving worthless if it’s not properl...

Reclaim Your Role as Your Child’s Primary Influence—Part 2

In the first part of this series, we discussed how today’s children are increasingly influenced more by t...

Reclaim Your Role as Your Child’s Primary Influence—Part 1

Have you ever felt that the unbreakable bond you once had with your children is seriously eroding? It can...

Use Estate Planning to Ensure Your Family Isn’t Stuck Paying For Your Funeral

With the cost of a funeral averaging $7,000 and steadily increasing each year, every estate plan should i...

4 Ways Estate Planning Can Improve Relationships with Loved Ones

With the holiday season here, you’re probably spending lots of time with your family and friends. During ...

Saving What Matters: 12 Must-Have Items To Pack in Your Go-Bag

It’s the middle of the night. The authorities just notified you that you have 20 minutes to evacuate your...

Is Your Home Insured Against Natural Disasters?

From wildfires in California and hurricanes in Texas to floods in West Virginia, hardly any area of the U...

How to Fix Errors in Your Credit Report

While some of those TV commercials for free credit-score report companies are pretty funny, having errors...

Use Estate Planning to Enrich Your Family With More Than Just Material Wealth

In the weeks before her death from ovarian cancer, author Amy Krouse Rosenthal gave her husband Jason one...

To Live a Happier life, Start Thinking About Death Now

Want to know a proven way to live a more fulfilling life? All you have to do is fully accept the fact tha...

Questions and Answers About Personal Liability Umbrella Insurance

It’s no secret that we live in a litigious society. And though our right to a fair trial is one of the ha...

What Happens to Your Facebook Account When You Die?

If you’re active on social media, Facebook probably plays a prominent role in your life. And now the soci...

The Ins and Outs of Collecting Life Insurance Policy Proceeds

Unlike many estate assets, if you’re looking to collect the proceeds of a life insurance policy, the proc...

Trustees Should Carefully Consider the Role's Duties and Obligations—Part 2

Last week, we shared the first part of this series explaining the powers and duties that come with servin...

Trustees Should Carefully Consider the Role's Duties and Obligations—Part 1

If a friend or family member has asked you to serve as trustee for their trust upon their death, you shou...

Guardianship Questions—In Case A Parent or Loved One Becomes Incapacitated

Whether through illness, injury, or other means, anyone can require a guardian to become appointed if the...

How and When to Talk to Your Children About Money

Whether you consider yourself wealthy or not, you need to think about how (and when) you’ll talk with you...

Estate Planning Tips for Ensuring Your Pets Are Properly Cared For

It’s sad but true that many pets end up in shelters after their owner dies or becomes incapacitated. In f...

Choosing the Right Life Insurance Policy

While purchasing life insurance may seem pretty straightforward, it’s actually quite complex, especially ...

4 Warning Signs Your Elderly Relative May Be the Victim of Financial Abuse

Some of the most disturbing crimes against the elderly involve financial exploitation. While physical abu...

Suze Orman Says This Is the Age You Should Retire—Not a Month or Year Before (and Here's What She Misses)

If you’re middle aged or older, it’s likely that one of your most pressing concerns is not having enough ...

4 Cryptocurrency Risks and Scams and How to Navigate Them — Part 2

Last week, we shared the first part of our series on cryptocurrency risks and scams, and if you haven’t r...

4 Cryptocurrency Risks and Scams and How to Navigate Them — Part 1

It’s no secret that Bitcoin and other brands of cryptocurrency are one of the hottest new investment oppo...

Want to Be an Awesome Parent? Stop Stressing and Spend More Time on Self-Care

All parents have undoubtedly felt guilty at some point for not spending enough time with their children. ...

The Downsizing Generation: Handling a Surplus of Stuff When a Loved One Ages

As the baby boomer generation ages—and downsizes—more and more adult children will be tasked with going t...

Weathering the Storm: How Families Can Plan for Natural Disasters

Planning for natural disasters is more than just stocking up on canned food and water. In a natural disas...

How Legal Planning Helps Build a Strong Blended Family

Yours, mine and ours … in today’s modern family, it’s oh so common. The blended family is the product of ...

Financial + Legal Planning for Unmarried Couples: Should You Legally Marry or Not?

While the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision to legalize same-sex marriage in the U.S. making it po...

Think Your Salary Can Bring You Safely to Retirement? Think Again.

In the sea of financial planning wisdom, there are too few messages about the importance of mindset. Gone...

Facing Grief After the Death of a Loved One Can Be the Key to a Life of Health and Wholeness

If you have ever met someone who repeatedly sabotaged their life or seemed to have a hard time moving thi...

The Unexpected Costs of Caring for Elderly Parents In Your Home

Multi-generational households are becoming the new (or maybe it’s really old) in vogue way to handle the ...

Your Rights as the Parent of a Young Adult - What to Know When a Medical Crisis Hits

As a parent, you are most likely quite accustomed to managing the legal and medical affairs of your child...

What Happens to Your Body When You Die? The Choice Can Be Yours.

Many of us are too afraid of death to carefully consider what happens to our bodies after we die. Unfortu...

How (and Why) to Disinherit a Child or Grandchild

Completely disinheriting a child or grandchild should be reserved for extreme circumstances. And, if thos...

Generational Wisdom in 32 Questions

What can we learn from earlier generations? Quite a bit, says Brendon Burchard, but only if we ask the ri...

Spring Cleaning For Your Legal and Financial Affairs

Spring has officially sprung and that means it’s spring cleaning time. Shake out the rugs, clean out the ...

Watch Out for This Predatory Phone Scam

Today, even the most conscientious can fall victim to phone scams. Claiming everything from free cruise v...

Planning for the Care of Your Pet: How to Include Your Pet in Your Estate Plan

If your pet is beloved as a family member, you likely want to ensure that he or she will be well cared fo...

How to Make Your First Million by Age 40

Being in your 20s or 30s doesn’t mean financial success is decades away. In fact, earning big money is of...

Three Health Care Documents You Need to Include in Your Estate Plan

Decisions about your health care are some of the most important you will ever make. Don’t put off making ...

How to Incorporate Family Values in Your Estate Planning

Baby boomers know money isn’t the only important aspect of estate planning. A 2012 study released by the ...

How These Common Assets Can Affect Your Financial Aid Eligibility

Financial aid is a valuable resource for students and their families. And sending a child off to college ...

Is Your Family “Too Young” to Need an Estate Plan?

Young families face different estate planning needs and challenges than those who have had a long life be...

How to Live Before You Die

In Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, he said: “Remembering that I’ll be dead s...

Why You Need to Update Your Estate Plan After These Life Events

Too many estate plans are created and then quickly forgotten, put on a shelf, and never looked at again. ...

How to Discuss Estate Planning With Aging (or Sick) Loved Ones - Part 2

In our last newsletter, we shared the first part of our article on how to discuss estate planning with ag...

How to Discuss Estate Planning With Aging (or Sick) Loved Ones - Part 1

Someone you love is aging. Or maybe, facing a potentially terminal illness. And you know it’s time for th...

Can Facing Your Death Actually Increase Happiness During Life?

Bhutan is an independent state in Southeast Asia, bordered by China to the north and India to the south. ...

Life Changes that Require an Update to Your Estate Plan

Even if you do not have an estate plan that you’ve created, the State has one for you. And it’s likely on...

What You Can Learn from the Clintons’ Tax Returns

In anticipation of the election and in response to public demand, Hillary and Bill Clinton have released ...

End-of-Life Communication and Care: A Struggle Most Physicians Encounter

Just as it is difficult for many of us to talk about our ultimate death, it is also difficult for doctors...

Khan Academy Reinforces Critical Education Skills - for Free!

The quality of the education a child receives through public or private school systems can vary greatly. ...

Name Legal Guardians for Your Kids for Free On This Website

One of the hardest things to do as a human being is to acknowledge our mortality. Some people even seem t...

Legal Rights of Grandparents: In Honor of National Grandparents Day

When all is ideal in a family, the bond between grandparent and child is a special one. Maybe you’ve even...

The Four Tricky Cons of 2016

Electronic technology has brought about tremendous benefits for today’s society. We can access goods, ser...

Permission To Love Your Children

This is your letter of permission to go ahead and simply love your children. Put down those expectations ...

Conscious Money Challenge: Know How You Are Invested

If you have money invested in the stock market, whether through a retirement account or a straight broker...

Five Reasons To Never Give An Outright Inheritance To Your Children - and What to Do Instead!

If you’re like me, you want to leave an inheritance for your children. It’s likely part of what you are w...

How to Continue Your Family Values for Generations

Most of us want to make a mark in the world. That’s a big part of what gives our lives meaning. And wheth...

Work-Life Balance: A Personal Perspective

Pick up the latest copy of just about any business magazine, and you’re likely to find at least one artic...

Clean Burials: New Mushroom Suit Removes Body Toxins

If you have ever wondered about the impact your body will have on the environment when you are gone, you ...

Writing Your Life Story: Why

How often do you wish you knew more about your family? When we’re young, we don’t necessarily pay attenti...

Life Is Multifaceted: Teach a Child to Be Open and Embrace Complexities

When you picture a “normal” family, what do you see? Is it the traditional notion of one male parent and ...

Signing Up for Medicare: The Facts For You or Your Parents Nearing Age 65

People who are nearing the age of 65 should be making plans for the transition from private health care t...

Guiding Your Children to Grow Through Failure -- a Gift That Keeps On Giving

Laws and rules are created within organized societies to regulate interaction and protect citizens. A cla...

When Is the Purchase of Long-Term Care Insurance Worth It?

Elder Care is emerging as a significant issue for many people as life spans continue to increase. It is n...

Parenting: Build Your Child’s Resilience to Support Their Ultimate Success

If you are like most parents, your primary objective is to support your children to be prepared to handle...

Give Back: Donate Your Empty Pill Bottles to Make a Difference

When we pick up our prescriptions, we take the containers for granted. By contrast, in many countries med...

Five Valuable Traits a Child Can Learn from Working Parents

Those of us who work sometimes feel that we are doing our children a disservice. Sure, we bring home a pa...

Are You Leaving Your Retirement Account at Risk Due to Poor Planning?

You’ve spent your entire life building up your retirement account. It may even be the biggest asset you’l...

Emergency iPhone Health App Can Save Your Life

Have you given any thought to how emergency medical care providers know who to contact or what to do if y...

What to Do With a Cash Windfall

Many of us like to fantasize about winning the lottery. We muse with our friends about how we might spend...

Got a Job? Here’s How You Can Save Money You Might Be Losing Right Now

Did you know there are many steps that you can take to save money via your employment? Some of these stra...

Should I Pay Off My Mortgage Now or Save More Money?

To many people, living debt-free is a lifelong dream. It’s the picture of the easy life. Retired with no ...

Can I Benefit from a Reverse Mortgage?

It seems that we can’t turn on the television or radio without hearing an ad for a “reverse mortgage.” So...

Talking with Your Family About Your Estate Plan

Is it time to have “the talk” with your kids? We’re not talking about a “birds and bees” talk but one tha...

Pets in Your Will

For those of us who have pets that would be left behind after we die, there may be a desire to make arran...

Family Financial Traditions

To some degree or another, we are all a function of the social environments in which we were raised. Of c...

Holiday Bonus + Tax Refund Spending: Where to Put it For Max Return

Did you get a holiday bonus from your employer? Or maybe you have a tax refund coming. If so, do you have...

Watch Out for Predatory Tax Liens on Your Family Home

As our parents and other loved ones age, they may need a little more attention from us. Parents, grandpar...

Planning for Charitable Giving

January 1 wipes the slate clean for your tax deductible charitable contributions. That might be a good ti...

The Best Gift You Can Leave to Your Loved Ones

A Wisconsin woman, whose story was widely reported in media nationwide, has died. Heather McManamy, who w...

Retirement Planning Reality Check

The National Institute on Retirement Security states that the funds American workers have set aside for r...

Am I Due Class Action Settlement Money?

Class action lawsuits are common in our court systems. Most everyone has received a notice in the mail of...

How to Raise Responsible Kids - Part 4

Welcome back to the fourth and final article in our series on How to Raise Responsible Kids. You can read...

How to Raise Responsible Kids - Part 3

Welcome back to the third article in our series on How to Raise Responsible Kids. You can read part 1, wh...

How to Raise Responsible Kids - Part 2

Welcome back to the second article in our series on How to Raise Responsible Kids. You can read part 1, w...

How to Raise Responsible Kids

My guess is that if we did a poll of every parent we know and asked them what they most want for their ki...

A Gift to Your Family and the Environment: Green Burial

The practice of burying our dead in the ground has been traced back over 100,000 years ago. For the vast ...

Could an AMBER alert save your child?

As a parent, your number one job is to keep your children safe, and that’s not always easy. In our imperf...

How to Pass On Family Heirlooms Without Causing a Family Feud

The holidays are traditionally the time for family gatherings, where generations come together and perfor...

How To Leave Your Home To Your Kids

Many parents want to know the best way to leave a home to their children. Before you make a plan, you sho...

How to Ensure Your End-of-Life Wishes Are Respected

How do you want to die? Do you want lifesaving treatments to be administered even if all brain activity h...

Landmark Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage Will Have Monumental Effects

In June, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, a highly publicized...

What Is a Trust?

A trust is a legal creation set up to benefit someone or something. For example, some people set up trust...

The Top Three Things to Know Before You Sign a Residential Lease

If you own your home or you’ve been renting so long that this information is old hat to you, consider sha...

Protecting Your Child with a Special Needs Trust

When you have a family member with special needs, it is important to understand that your estate planning...

How to Protect Family Heirlooms From a Family Feud

The passing of family heirlooms from one generation to another should be welcome tradition in most famili...

5 Steps to Fix Your Battered Retirement Plan

It’s no secret that a majority of Americans are ill-prepared for retirement. A recent Forbes.com post det...

Estate Planning for Your Digital Afterlife

If you’re like most Americans, you have a rich digital life. You may bank online, invest online and certa...

Is Your Living Trust Really Going to Work For the People You Love?

Traditionally, one of the primary reasons for establishing a living trust has been to avoid probate. But ...

How You Can Avoid Being Taken Advantage of Once You Become Elderly

A 2010 study conducted by the Investor Protection Trust found that more than seven million older American...

How to Tell If It’s Time to Change Your Will

Current research shows that only about half of Americans have a will, and probably less than that have ch...

5 Things You Need to Know Before You Name Beneficiaries

Once you have chosen the people you want to receive any of your assets -- either from a will, a trust, a ...

Debunking 4 Common Myths About Gift Taxes

April 15 is not only the deadline for filing your state and federal income tax returns, but also the dead...

Family Loans Must Be Made Properly to Avoid Tax Repercussions

The recession made many parents and grandparents into personal bankers, making loans to strapped children...

How Long-Term Care Planning Can Protect You From Medicaid Divorce

Currently, it is estimated that 7 in 10 Americans will need some type of long-term care, with Medicaid ex...

Protecting Our Family When It Matters Most

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

Senior Drivers and Safe Driving

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

How to Reduce the Cost of Long-Term Care Insurance

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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,...

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...

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...

The Conversation You Must Have With Your Kids and Your Parents

Every single adult needs to have an advance health care directive written, signed and in place. This incl...

Striking a Balance Between Funding Your Retirement and Your Child’s Education

Many parents perceive a conflict between funding a child’s college education and building their own retir...

Congratulations! It’s an Estate Plan! Protecting Your Newborn From Birth

In the process of becoming new parents, many couples become experts at planning – scheduling the birthing...

5 Ways to Ease the Pain of the Payroll Tax Hike

While the fiscal cliff tax deal cut by Congress last month targeted primarily higher wage earners, every ...

How to Secure Your Personal Information Online

Most of us conduct a lot of our personal business online these days, so the necessity of being savvy when...

Tips to Help You Reboot Your Retirement Plan

Planning for a long and prosperous retirement is no longer just about the money; because of the recession...

The Fiscal Cliff Tax Deal: For Most of Us, It's a Wash

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 that Congress passed on New Year's Day extended the Bush era tax...

What is the Difference Between a Will-based plan and a Trust-based plan?

In this article I will explain the difference between a Will-based plan and a Trust-based plan so you can...

5 Things We Should Learn From Our Parents About Retirement

When we talk about retirement, most of us are still thinking about our parents’ retirement and how they d...

How to Talk to a Loved One About Estate Planning

Estate planning rarely comes up in the course of regular conversation and if it does, it is usually invol...

Holidays a Perfect Opportunity to Check Up on Aging Parents

The holidays are a traditional time for multiple generations to gather together, and are also a perfect o...

Longevity Insurance Can Help Those Worried About Outliving Their Money

With longer life spans comes the necessity to be sure your money is around at least as long as you are. L...

Savvy Year-End Tax Moves for Retirement Plan Owners

Even though the elections are over, no one knows what Congress will do by the end of the year when it com...

Retirement Planning Guidelines for Every Age

You’re never too young or too old to save for retirement; here are some guidelines by age group: Under 25...

How to Protect Elderly Parents From Financial Abuse

According to a recent study by the Investor Protection Trust and Investor Protection Institute, the top t...

When It Comes to Inheritance, Treating Children Equally Not Always the Best Plan

While most parents have the inclination to treat all their children equally when it comes to an inheritan...

Planning for Estate Taxes in 2013 and Beyond

What will happen to estate taxes in 2013? Right now, you may as well try to predict what the weather will...

How to Create a Pet Trust

There is no doubt we are a nation of pet lovers. Unfortunately, the law as it is currently written views ...

What a Will Won’t Do

There are a number of essential things a last will and testament can do for you, such as distribute famil...

PFL firms in your area

Hi, I’m Pam Starsia. I became a Personal Family Lawyer because I’m passionate about educating and empowering people to create estate, life, ...

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Juniper Law, PLLC

I became a Personal Family Lawyer to help people like you and families like yours plan for the future. Facing the potential for incapacity a...

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Das Law, PLLC

Let’s talk about your death . . . or incapacity. If something unfortunate happens, what will happen to your assets that you’ve worked so har...

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Legacy Lawyers, PLLC

Hi. I’m John W. Heck. I became a Personal Family Lawyer because I have seen the consequences of failed estate planning in my immediate famil...

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Edris Law

In my practice, I focus on Family Protection, Wealth Preservation, and Value-Based Planning. I’m also experienced with wealth planning strat...

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Brown Law Offices

Lisa Brown Esq. is the principal attorney for Brown Law Offices. She received her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and ...

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Millennium Attorney

Naureen Rahman has been practicing law for over twenty years in the Maryland, DC-Metropolitan area. She has practiced across numerous sector...

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Reflections Life Planning, LLC

I love being able to guide my clients through a unique planning process that empowers them to live a financially fulfilling life now while e...

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I am an attorney dedicated to helping families in Virginia navigate the world of estate planning. With over 22 years of legal experience, I'...

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