April 2019

Few estate plans effectively deal with the common situation in which the caregiver, let’s say the wife, dies before her sick husband. How common is this? Sixty percent of the time, the caregiving spouse dies before the sick spouse. Got that? Sixty percent of the time. At first, this statistic seems counterintuitive. Shouldn’t the sick spouse die first? But think about it. Who is getting the...

My wife has told me very clearly, “Now listen, when I die, I don’t want to be eaten by bugs. So, I want you to cremate me. I want you to put my ashes in a box and then into a columbarium where the family can come visit me.” I am glad she has told me this—and I take her words very seriously. It’s not easy to talk to your husband, much less your child about your possible illness and death....

Please do not be confused by the term “power of attorney.” Many clients believe this term has something to do with the lawyer preparing their estate plan. Clients sometimes mistakenly fear that they are giving over some kind of power to their lawyer to make decisions for them. This is not true. When you grant “durable power of attorney” to another person—any other person—you are designating...

It’s an unfortunate and often hard reality to contemplate, but up to 80 percent of Americans will face a period of sustained disability before their deaths. What is harder is that most of those Americans will not have done even the most rudimentary planning for this event or for the extended care it will require. The truth is, long-term care (LTC) is expensive and we know that paying premiums...

One of the hardest balances to strike as a parent is when to step back and let your children create their own independence. Even when they grow into adulthood, they are still our kids. Wanting our children to be successful adults in today’s world means many parents are working to save for retirement while still providing for their children financially. If you are in this boat, know that you...