When the ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin died last year, it was believed that she hadn’t prepared any kind of estate plan, including a last will and testament. However, a few months ago, three handwritten wills were found in her home near Detroit. Two were in a locked closet and one was stuffed beneath the cushions of a couch!
Even a close family can have quarrels and confrontations, but these conflicts tend to be more prominent within a blended family.
If you and your spouse are child-free, you may think you don’t need to think about comprehensive estate planning—but you’d be wrong. You’ll still want to ensure your assets go where you’d like them to after you’re gone, rather than being divvied up by the state.
Understanding what happens when you inherit a house, as well as addressing the tough financial and emotional decisions on what to do with the home, can be intimidating.
Years ago he signed a power of attorney document naming me as his agent, so I could help him with these types of things. Not ever having done this before, what do I need to know about fiduciary duty?
When you create a living trust, you also sign a pour-over will. One of the main benefits of a trust is avoiding a court proceeding on death called probate, which is when wills are used.
As we approach our 70s, we feel like we have everything covered. We don’t have long-term care insurance, but with the income we have off the farm and with our savings, we feel pretty comfortable. Is everything we have enough?
There are milestones in every life. For many, graduations, marriage, children, opening a business and retiring are among these milestones.
A woman was clear about her wishes before she had a stroke — in the case of a serious medical event, she did not want a feeding tube. She had even expressed her wishes in an advance directive, years before her stroke.
Thanks to the Internet, everyone has the ability to draft wills, trusts and a variety of other legal documents. Many documents can be produced for less than $100, requiring only a few mouse clicks and filled-in blanks.