Did you know that October 21-28 is “National Estate Planning Awareness Week?" Estate planning is an often overlooked area of personal financial management. By some estimates, 70% of American parents do not have an estate plan! Most mistakenly hear the word “estate” and assume “estate planning” is just for the Bill Gates, Elon Musks, or Warren Buffets of the world. Estate planning, however, is for Read More
Understanding the Difference Between Godparents and Guardians
When welcoming a new child into a family, there are many important decisions that need to be made. Among the most important will be making sure your child is properly cared for no matter what the future brings. A common misconception among parents today is that the people that they have named as godparents will automatically be those chosen to become legal guardians should the biological (or adoptive) parents pass Read More
Your Money, Your Independence. Guard(ian) Your Blindside.
Guest Blogger, Glenn Brown, CFP, CRPC, is the owner of Plan Dynamics, LLC. As a parent, you do dozens of things daily to ensure your child’s well-being and personal growth. Think of your instructions for a babysitter to ensure fun, consistency and safety. While out for a date night with your spouse, what if something happened where neither of you were able to come home… ever. What now? Who ensures your Read More
Naming a Guardian? Avoid These 6 Common Mistakes
Who you name as a guardian for your minor child is one of the most important decisions you will make when you are creating your estate plan. After all, you don’t want just anyone taking care of your child if you die or become incapacitated. You want the people whom you know, love and trust to be there to care for your children should the unthinkable happen. While it is easy to fall into “it-won’t-happen-to-me” Read More
The Dangers of Legal DIY: When Something is NOT Better Than Nothing
Go online, and you’ll find tons of websites offering do-it-yourself estate planning documents. Such forms are typically quite inexpensive. Simple wills, for example, are often priced under $50, and you can complete and print them out in a matter of minutes. In our uber-busy lives and DIY culture, it’s no surprise that this kind of thing might seem like a good deal. You know estate planning is important, and even Read More
What You Should Know About Guardianship—In Case A Parent or Loved One Becomes Incapacitated
Whether through illness, injury, or other means, anyone can require a guardian to become appointed if they become mentally incapacitated. In such cases, if there is no estate planning in place (or insufficient planning) to keep family or other loved one’s out of court, a guardianship, or conservatorship as it is sometimes called, must be established via a court process in the county probate court. Obtaining Read More
Advice for the “Sandwich Generation”
July is Sandwich Generation month. Now that I've got you thinking about turkey BLTs or meatball subs, I have to break it to you (though I bet you can already guess,) this article isn't about food. So what is the Sandwich Generation? The average age of parents raising children in the US continues to rise, leaving many middle-aged Americans in a category commonly referred to as the the “sandwich” generation: often Read More
Naming Guardians for your Children: The 6 Steps to Do It Right—Part 1
One of your most important responsibilities as a parent is to select and legally document guardians for your children. This doesn’t mean just naming godparents or trusting the grandparents will step in if necessary. It means consciously deciding who would raise your children if you cannot. And then it means legally documenting your choices and making sure the people you’ve chosen know what to do if they’re ever Read More
