Category Archives: Estate Planning
A Professor’s Final Act of Love
In Plato’s Symposium, seven guests at a party in Athens each give a speech in which they define love. The guests come from different professional backgrounds, and this is reflected in their speeches. For example, the retired military officer says that love is the willingness to fight to the death on the battlefield to… Read More »
Florida Doesn’t Let in Terrorem Clauses Intimidate Heirs
Even if you spent your entire life making financial decisions based on what other people want, your will is your chance to distribute your money the way that you choose. You can disinherit as many relatives as you wish, and it is up to you whether you tell them, during your lifetime, that they… Read More »
Buying a House After Retirement
Your dream has always been to move to Florida when you retire. You first set the intention to retire to Florida when you visited the Sunshine State during a Spring Break trip in college, and you have never deviated from it. Time flies, and you are ready to retire, but your financial plans have… Read More »
You Are Less Prepared for Long-Term Care Than You Think You Are
It was a lifetime ago, but your fellow graduating seniors chose well when they voted you most conscientious in your high school graduating class. Nearly fifty years hence, you have written your will and reread it every year on New Year’s Day. You updated it when major changes occurred, like when your grandchildren were… Read More »
The Bucket List After Party Set List Launch Party Hangover Cure
Preparing for retirement might make you feel old; by the time you reach your 60s, the reminders that you are no spring chicken are everywhere. You get mail from the AARP and advertisements for Medicare plans. The obituaries in the local newspaper are for people not much older than you, and people younger than… Read More »
How Does Trust Litigation Happen?
If you have established a trust, you have already substantially reduced the chances that disputes will arise over your property after you die and that, if disputes arise, they will cause the intended beneficiaries to lose money. Since they are non-probate assets, trusts can operate outside of court, unlike the process of administering a… Read More »
Five Wishes for End-of-Life Care
In civil lawsuits, courts can only award money; they cannot truly heal people’s physical and emotional pain. When probate cases go wrong, family members can become estranged. They might voice their grievances in financial terms, but often the problem is not really about money. How much money you have is largely beyond your control,… Read More »
Avoiding Hassle During Probate Requires More Than Just Designating Beneficiaries for Non-Probate Assets
Estate planning lawyers often talk up non-probate assets, such as accounts with transfer on death (TOD) and payable on death (POD) beneficiaries, as a “set it and forget it” way to simplify your estate plan. Of course, if you have started on your estate plan, you know that nothing involving the transfer of property… Read More »
Securing a Deceased Person’s Assets Before Probate
Probate is stressful not because it differs much from the financial and administrative tasks you do on behalf of yourself and your spouse, but because you must manage a recently deceased person’s financial affairs in addition to your own. In other words, the problem is that there simply are not enough hours in a… Read More »
Strategic Divorce? What a Horrible Thought!
If you are at a social gathering of retirees and you are tired of listening to them complain about their aches and pains or about the economy, ask your companions what they think about marriage trends among the young generation, and the conversation is certain to turn lively. People will tell you, from their… Read More »
