A conservator is a person appointed by yourself or the court to manage your estate and other aspects of your life should you become incapacitated. Given the nature of their responsibilities, it is important that you choose the right individual for this role. However,...
Estate Planning
Your debts can prevent you from leaving an inheritance for family
When you decide who receives your personal possessions, you probably make those decisions based on the personalities of your beneficiaries and your relationship history with them. Although you may consider and try to balance the financial value of those assets, the...
Is it time to discuss estate planning with your aging parent?
Your parent had a scary fall and ended up in the hospital to be treated for a broken arm. While you have been aware of the risk of falls and injuries, this accident might have made it especially clear to you and your siblings that your parent is not getting any...
Hoping to age in place? Here are 2 things to consider
One major consideration of people who are getting older is where they’re going to live. For many, aging in place is a priority because they don’t want to leave the home they’ve had for a long time. Others may opt to move into an assisted living home or a long-term...
Address your estate plan if you have early onset dementia
When you find out that you have early onset dementia, it makes complete sense to turn to estate planning for help making sure your wishes are known in the future. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease largely affect those over the age of 65, but there are times when early...
How getting a reverse mortgage will affect your heirs
It seems like you can’t watch television for more than half an hour during the day without seeing at least one ad for reverse mortgage loans. Many older people who’ve lived in their homes for many years choose to get a reverse mortgage because it can provide them with...
2 times your estate may not have assets left for your loved ones
When you go through the trouble of creating an estate plan, you do so because you care about your legacy and the people in your life. You want to leave assets for your spouse and your children. Maybe you want to donate to a charity or scholarship fund that means...
Am I exempt from paying inheritance tax in the Garden State?
Until 2018, New Jersey was an expensive state to die in. New Jersey had not only one, but two “death taxes.” That all changed in 2018 with the revisions of New Jersey’s tax laws. When a person dies in the Garden State, the estate tax is no longer collected, nor...
Think twice before funding an incentive trust
You have been diligent about planning for your future and have drafted your last will and testament. You and your spouse have both completed medical and legal powers of attorney and also filled out advanced directives detailing the extent and type of end-of-life care...
Is a trust an ideal part of your asset-protection plan?
Estate planning isn’t just about writing a will. Among other things, it’s also about conserving your assets and minimizing the taxes on your estate. Historically, trusts were something that only the ultra-wealthy bothered to create, but many people of relatively...