A will is a legal document that spells out the distribution of your assets and how your children will be cared for at your death. Probate is a process used to prove a decedent’s will is valid and to supervise the handling of their estate.
Increasingly, financial advisors are working with clients from nontraditional families, which can sometimes require different or additional strategies to protect their assets and achieve their financial goals.
In a lawsuit filed by Stacy Alley in a Tom Green County District Court, the woman alleges that her brother, Michael Gene Mowrey, ‘threatened her, by stating he was going to cut her throat and kill her.’
In fact, many couples with no children mistakenly believe that they are less likely to need a last will and testament than couples with children.
A trustee is a fiduciary which, essentially, is a person that owes a legal, ethical and, perhaps, moral obligation to act in the interest of another.
Perhaps one of the most difficult, and increasingly common, estate planning questions involves the inclusion or disinheritance of an estranged child.
A second marriage can be a balm for the heartache of losing a spouse, be it through death or divorce. Nevertheless, if there are children or other heirs involved, you should consider carefully what will happen with your money and possessions when you pass on.
Creating a trust as part of an estate plan can help protect assets and ensure your financial legacy is preserved. If you’re married, you may consider establishing a QTIP trust, which is short for qualified terminable interest property trust.
There may be potential benefits to life insurance beyond its traditional uses, especially when it comes to taxes, estate planning and long-term care.
If you don’t have a spouse or children, you might think you don’t need to do much estate planning. However, if you have any assets, any familial connections, any interest in supporting charitable groups – not to mention a desire to control your own future – you do need to establish an estate plan.
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