
Are Your ‘Affairs’ Really in Order?
With the threat of COVID-19, we’ve all come face-to-face with our mortality, but are you prepared for the worst?

With the threat of COVID-19, we’ve all come face-to-face with our mortality, but are you prepared for the worst?

When someone passes away, their tax headaches don’t die with them. In fact, those obligations can further complicate the lives of survivors: Federal estate taxes may be due and state inheritance taxes could also come into play.

Many baby boomers may hesitate to discuss money with their children. However, the reality is that a massive amount of wealth will be transferred in the next couple of decades. Cerulli Associates estimates that about $68 trillion will move between generations within 25 years, with most of those assets transferred to Generation X households.

How do we move into probate, so we do not lose the house and bank accounts, while not killing ourselves in the process?

If you plan to pass your business to your offspring, there is more to keep in mind when creating your succession plan than your descendants—there are also their spouses—especially if they become ex-spouses.

If you are planning to take another walk down the aisle, it is critical to take the time to review and revise your estate plan, especially if meaningful assets and debts are being brought into the marriage.

The press has made much of the handwritten will that Larry King executed in the months before he died and in which he purports to change his prior will executed in 2015, to leave his estate equally between his children.

Using a lawyer is always a better choice than going through the process independently.

A will is a legal document that allows you to decide what happens with your estate after you passed away. Unfortunately, not all people consider creating one because they think that it’s complicated and just an extra expense.

Under current rules, the federal estate tax won’t ever affect you, unless you’re quite wealthy. However, that could change rapidly, even if you are far from rich.