Estate Planning

While a will is often part of an estate plan, an estate plan covers much more ground.

If you are admitted to a hospital for even minor procedures, there is a good chance you will be asked to read and consider signing a do-not-resuscitate order.

It takes a special parent to care for a child with special needs. These parents’ greatest financial concern is typically ensuring that their children are cared for when they can no longer do so.

Major changes in your life—such as marriage, having a baby, moving out of state, or divorce—should prompt a revisit to your current will. It is important to revise your will at these times, in order to ensure your estate planning is up to date.

Locking up certain important documents and valuables in a bank vault could turn into a headache for you or your heirs.

Despite its depiction in the movies, a heart attack doesn’t always produce pain or pressure so intense it causes a person to clutch their chest and collapse to the floor. Most people who have a heart attack experience a much less dramatic version. Some have no symptoms at all — or symptoms that are so subtle they’re mistaken for something else entirely.

If you’re planning an inheritance, be careful about leaving these assets to a loved one. They may create more trouble than they’re worth.

Most people have heard that each individual is allowed to gift $15,000 per year to another person without paying a gift tax. However, exactly what the gift tax is, and the consequences of going beyond $15,000, are less clear.

Do my husband’s minor children from a prior marriage have any rights to any marital assets acquired during our marriage in the event he dies before me?

As you’re making your estate plan, you’ll want to carefully consider everything. This means it may take a while to complete your plan. Here are five things to watch out for along the way.