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

Unlike most of your assets, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) do not pass to your family through a will. Instead, upon your death, your IRA will pass directly to the people you named via your IRA beneficiary designation form.Unless you take extra steps, the named beneficiary can do whatever he or

While most people assume only the uber wealthy need to worry about asset protection, those with less wealth and fewer assets may be at even greater risk. For example, if you’re a multi-millionaire, a $50,000 judgment against you might not be that big of a burden. But for a family

If you have young children, chances are that your summer activities include some careful planning to keep them safe from harm.  Unfortunately, even with proper precautions in place, accidents do happen and not just to children.  Have you planned for what will happen to your children if you are the

Research shows that a majority of baby boomers will receive an inheritance at some time during their lives, with the average inheritance estimated at almost $65,000.  Should you be the recipient of family largesse, here are 7 steps you can take to be sure your inheritance is managed wisely: 1.  Re-examine

In the process of becoming new parents, many couples become experts at planning – scheduling the birthing classes, planning the new nursery, even picking out a preschool. There is so much to think about before you welcome your new child. Unfortunately, one of the most important things you can do to

In the first part of this series, we discussed a couple of the most critical updates you must make to your estate plan if you’re getting divorced. Here, we’ll cover the last three of these must-do planning tasks. Because getting divorced can be overwhelming on so many different levels, updating your

Divorce can be traumatic for the whole family. Even if the process is amicable, it involves many tough decisions, legal hassles, and painful emotions that can drag out over several months, or even years.  That said, while you probably don’t want to add any more items to your to-do list during

It’s a common misconception to think that if you don’t have children, you  don’t need to worry about estate planning. But the fact is, it can be even MORE important to do estate planning if you have no children. Some of the common thoughts behind this mistaken belief may take one