Have you considered your pet or pets when planning your estate? If not, you should, according to The Humane Society of the United States, the nation’s largest animal protection organization. Pets usually have shorter life spans than humans, but people don’t always include their pets in their estate plans. If a pet owner doesn’t make plans for…
Beezer the cat can be a member of the family, but what happens to Beezer or [insert your pet’s name] after you are gone? How can you ensure your pet will be cared for? One option is to create a pet trust. While you can give directions in your will to leave your pet to…
Pets are members of the family, so it is important to consider how to provide for them in your estate plan just as you would the human family members. While we may think of pets as part of our family, the law considers them to be property. This means that you cannot leave anything in your will directly to a pet.
Americans are living longer than they did in years past, including those with disabilities. According to one count, 730,000 people with developmental disabilities living with caregivers who are 60 or older. This figure does not include adult children with other forms of disability nor those who live separately, but still depend on their families for…
While it is important to have an updated estate plan, there is a lot of information that your heirs should know that doesn’t necessarily fit into a will, trust or other components of an estate plan. The solution is a letter of instruction, which can provide your heirs with guidance if you die or become…
Many people periodically update their wills or other estate plans but don’t update who will receive distributions from their retirement plans (such as IRAs and 401(k)s) upon their deaths. Every year you should review your entire estate plan, and the review should include retirement plan “beneficiary designations” to make sure they aren’t outdated. The following…
When choosing a beneficiary for a retirement plan, it is important to understand how your spouse will be treated under the plan. Surviving spouses are treated differently under 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). While a 401(k) provides protections for a surviving spouse, an IRA does not.
Many people are not prepared for the shift from employee to retiree. Uncle Sam has strict rules on when you can and, later, must begin withdrawing funds from tax-deffered retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs. Here’s a rundown of the basic rules, which changed significantly as of January 1, 2020 (see below). Keep in mind that whatever…
Deciding which type of life insurance to purchase can be a confusing process. There are two main types of insurance: term and permanent. These two main alternatives differ on how long you are covered and whether or not the policy includes a cash value.
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