Many people don't understand what probate is, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Probate is the legal process by which a will is validated. If there’s no will, it’s the legal process of settling a person’s affairs.
With Fall in full swing, did you know it's National Estate Planning Awareness Month? If you've made assumptions about the estate planning process in the past, check out these 8 myths debunked.
Many people also think they can put off estate planning if they're young and healthy. However, this type of thinking can put your family at risk. An estate plan covers a variety of different scenarios, and not just the passing of large amounts of wealth.
Tax planning isn’t just for your investments. Life happens. Often, we cannot predict its next moves, but it's possible to weave each event into the tax-planning fabric of your financial life.
The particulars may evolve, but it seems there are always an array of tax breaks to encourage us to save toward our major life goals—such as retirement, healthcare, education, emergency spending, charitable giving, and wealth transfer.
If you’ve been putting off your estate planning, taking the initial steps can be daunting—but liberating. So, let’s get started today, one hurdle at a time.