In fact, many couples with no children mistakenly believe that they are less likely to need a last will and testament than couples with children.
A second marriage can be a balm for the heartache of losing a spouse, be it through death or divorce. Nevertheless, if there are children or other heirs involved, you should consider carefully what will happen with your money and possessions when you pass on.
Beneficiaries, in general, are people or entities that the holder of an account designates to receive the assets in the account, typically, in the event of the account holder’s death.
Estate planning is a cornerstone of any healthy financial plan, but it can be difficult to discuss.
Understanding what happens to your debt when you die is an important part of estate planning—and you don’t have to be rich to have an estate. Everything you own and owe makes up your estate. For many people, that includes a house with a mortgage.
Probate survives as a procedure originally implemented by the King of England to protect his citizens from themselves and their greed.
The biggest misconception people have about estate planning is that “they are not that old and can do it later,” say almost half (49%) of advisors in a recent Key Private Bank Advisor Poll on estate planning. Yet, the majority (73%) of advisors say the ideal age to start putting an estate plan in place is before 40—earlier than many people think.
If you don’t have a spouse or children, you might think you don’t need to do much estate planning. However, if you have any assets, any familial connections, any interest in supporting charitable groups – not to mention a desire to control your own future – you do need to establish an estate plan.
The death of a loved one results in an emotional grief that, when combined with large sums of money on the line, can cause the beneficiaries of the will or trust or the heirs of the deceased to challenge the validity, interpretation, or administration of the will or trust.
For most of us, the first time we ever thought about probating a will is when someone in our family has died. So, what does it mean to probate a will?
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