The Importance of Updating Your Will

Creating a last will and testament is a vital step in safeguarding your assets and ensuring your wishes are honored after your passing. Despite the fact that many people procrastinate on this important task, the mere act of having a will puts you ahead of the majority. According to the 2024 Wills and Estate Planning Study by Caring.com, only one-third of Americans have prepared a will. This statistic underscores the necessity of not only drafting a will but also keeping it current.  Updating your will is crucial during various life changes. Major life events, such as marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child, often necessitate a review of your estate planning documents. These changes can significantly impact how your assets should be distributed and who should be responsible for executing your wishes. Additionally, if a beneficiary experiences a major life change—like a marriage, divorce, or the birth of a

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Estate Planning Awareness Week October 21-27: A Reminder to Make a Plan for The Future

National Estate Planning Awareness Week is observed from October 21st-27th 2024. It’s an annual reminder that everyone – regardless of age or financial status – should have a plan for the future. A solid plan allows you to protect your assets, provide for your loved ones, and create a legacy. Estate planning is about more than just safeguarding your assets; it’s about ensuring your loved ones are taken care of and that your legacy reflects your values and wishes. Estate planning is for everyone, even college kids who have just turned 18. If you have college age kids who have started college this year, talk to them about making a plan that includes an advanced medical directive that allows you to make medical decisions for your child should they become incapacitated. They may also need financial power of attorney, and a Financial Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) waiver. A

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The Best Gift for Mom is Taking Care of Your Estate Plan

Are you struggling to find the right gift for Mom that is both practical and loving? Well look no further than making sure your estate plan is in the best shape possible. Have you been putting off creating an estate plan or making important updates to your plan? Has your Mom been doing the same but you know there are things that need to be done? Taking care of yourself is the best gift you can give to your Mom. Statistics and research shows it can also be a good example to parents and a conversation-starter about estate planning. According to recent research, only 32% of Americans have an estate plan, and the percentage of older adults who have an estate plan is in decline. Younger generations have become more proactive about making estate plans, according to recent research. Millennials started estate planning earlier than Gen X or Boomers. Gen

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Trust Protectors: Are They a Good Fit for Your Client?

Posted by Robert L. Arone What Is a Trust Protector? Traditionally, the three roles that must be filled when setting up a trust are the settlor (also called a grantor, trustor, or trustmaker), the trustee, and the beneficiary. All three roles are necessary to create a trust that functions properly. Although it is relatively common to use trust protectors in foreign asset protection trusts, a trust protector is a fairly new role in trusts drafted in the United States for estate planning purposes. However, as the number of trusts designed to last for generations grows, estate plans need more built-in flexibility. Giving a trust protector, through the terms of the trust, certain powers over the trust, such as removing or appointing trustees, adding or removing beneficiaries, and amending or even terminating the trust, ensures that your client’s intentions for creating the trust are fulfilled despite changing law or circumstances. How

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Helping Clients Create an Up-to-Date Inventory

Posted by Robert L. Arone If your client has already done estate planning by creating a will or trust, then the client has taken a very important step toward ensuring that if the client becomes incapacitated or dies, the client’s loved ones will know how to help manage the client’s financial and legal affairs. However, simply having a will or a trust and related estate planning documents is often not enough. An inventory of all of the client’s accounts and property is crucial for helping the client’s loved ones manage the client’s affairs effectively. Most estate planning attorneys have received calls from distressed children who know that a deceased parent had a will or a trust, but have no idea what accounts, insurance policies, or items of real and personal property the parent owned. If an inventory was never prepared and shared with the parent’s attorney, the child likely had

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