Category Archives: Asset Distribution
Estate Planning Increasingly Involves Charity Decisions
How to distribute one’s estate, never an easy decision and one with which people wrestle a great deal, becomes all the more complicated for those who don’t have children, stepchildren, grandchildren or other family members who might otherwise normally be in the mix. (Photo credit: Tax Credits)A recent item in The New York Times… Read More »
The Heart, As Well As The Head, Plays Role In Estate Decisions
Good estate planning goes behind the numbers to take the individuals involved into account. When it comes to giving gifts to family and loved ones through a will or while still alive, there are tax implications to be taken into consideration, but a host of other factors come into play, as well. A recent… Read More »
Lessons Are There For The Learning In Actor’s Death
The tragic death of talented actor Philip Seymour Hoffman from an apparent drug overdose offers some important lessons for people least likely to learn them. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Photo credit: Wikipedia) “One key lesson is the need to make an estate plan when one is going through a personal crisis or a downward spiral,”… Read More »
Selling off a late parent’s possession can be stressful
As if losing a parent wasn’t trying and troublesome enough, many adult children face the grim task of subsequently have to dispose of some of their late mother’s or father’s prized possessions. Often the sad reality is that what these older people held dear doesn’t have much value to others. “A few months after… Read More »
Inherited Financial Security A Blessing, If Handled Correctly
Money does not equal happiness. Let that sink in. It can be hard to believe, but it’s true. Sure, it’s easier to be unhappy when poor, but family wealth, if not handled correctly, can also be a source of grief. In recent stories for Forbes magazine, author Thayer Willis, herself the descendant of the… Read More »
Death Is Inevitable, But Financial Hassles Can Be Avoided
When a spouse dies is not the time to find out proper steps haven’t been taken to deal with new financial realities. According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, even people who feel they are properly prepared can find themselves facing more than grief at the loss of a loved one…. Read More »
When it Comes to Wills: Details, Details, Details
When it comes to deciding who gets what in a will, no detail is too small. That includes silly little knicknacks and items of kitsch that mom and dad may have accumulated over the years, as families sometimes discover to their lasting dismay when no instructions exist on divying such things up among the… Read More »