All states have specific laws about what counts as a legally valid will and it is important to be aware of the specifications before crafting your own will. A consultation with an experienced and dedicated New Hampshire estate planning lawyer can help you avoid many of the most common missteps that could lead to will contests and will challenges in the future. In order to finalize a will in New Hampshire, you must Read More
How Do Your Family’s Needs Connect to Estate Planning?
A will is the document most likely to come to mind for someone realizing they haven’t created an estate plan. Whether it’s a change in life circumstances or the loss of a loved one and the discovery they didn’t have a will, you must have a plan. Your family’s needs are core to the creation of the proper estate planning documents. The will is truly just the beginning. It’s where you document most of your plans and Read More
What Happens If I Need to Settle a Revocable Trust After the Trust Maker Has Passed Away?
Most people will not have had the experience of being named a successor trustee in charge of settling a person's revocable living trust after a loved one passes away. There are many different steps involved in closing out this trust and all of these should be approached with care and with the possible support of an experienced probate lawyer. The first step to settle a revocable living trust is to locate all of the Read More
When Should I Use a Corporate Trustee as My Successor Trustee?
A successor trustee is the individual or entity appointed to handle trust affairs should you become incapacitated or pass away. If you are not sure that a family member or friend you intended to appoint in the role of successor trustee could handle this responsibility well or you fear that it could only spark further family conflict, you may be able to avoid some of these problems by using a trust company or the Read More
What Is Long Term Care Insurance?
Like many insurance policies, the goal is to sign up for long-term care insurance well before you need it so that the benefits are there in the event of an unexpected issue. Many retirees can realize that the same amount of money they have projected to cover their vacation, property taxes and food after the workforce will also have to support their long-term care in their older years. Approximately half of the US Read More
Are You One of the Many Americans Not Financially Prepared for Retirement?
When it comes to your finances and your future, you’ve got to be the one who takes the reins and protects your nest egg. In addition to funding your retirement, those accounts might also become the payment source for long-term care health needs. You and your spouse should both be on the same page about saving for these possible issues. A recent study of US adults between the ages of 50 and 64 revealed that plenty of Read More
Three Things to Keep in Mind with Beneficiary Distributions
Do you know who in your life would receive assets from your retirement accounts or a life insurance policy? Have you updated this recently? Beneficiaries are the people who will receive assets inside your estate or directly receive assets inside other accounts like brokerage accounts or from life insurance policies. There are many different things to keep in mind as you think about who to name as a beneficiary. The Read More
What to Consider When Reducing Tax Impacts in Retirement
Looking towards your retirement, you need to think carefully about not just the expenses you might need to pay, but how taxes can impact that landscape. Taxes could reduce the size of your estate that you intend to leave behind for heirs, but they could also influence your overall financial picture. Investment earnings can be hit hard in your older years when it comes to taxes. An important goal of proper investing Read More
Two Ways to Protect Your Estate from Taxes
Tax planning is an important component of completing your estate plan and it should always be done under the guidance of an experienced professional. This is because there are many different details to consider in minimizing or avoiding taxes and you want to ensure that you have thought through all of the possibilities. One of the easiest ways to minimize your tax burden is to put your assets inside a trust. A trust Read More
Do You Know Where Your Digital Assets Will Go?
You are creating a digital footprint every time you post something on social media, share a photo gallery with your loved ones, look at your health records electronically or send an email. But what happens to all of the assets or accounts associated with these actions after you pass away? Have you created a plan for how these will be deleted, preserved, or made inactive once you pass away? If not, you need a plan Read More
