55% of people don't have a Will
If it's true that 55% of people don't have a Will, then I truly chose the right line of work! Learn about the basics in this article or else you're likely to make lawyers rich (and no one wants that!). Have children or elderly parents? What about savings or a home? If you answered yes to any of these, here's another question for you: Do you have an estate plan in place? While you may think that estate planning only applies to wealthy individuals with millions in assets who li
Tax season is here so I want to provide another reminder about avoiding this scam.
Identity theft was once again the number one complaint from Americans this year, according the Federal Trade Commission'sannual tally. There's no doubt it's a scary situation when it happens. If a criminal gets his hands on some personal information, it can wreak havoc on your life. You might find mysterious charges on your credit card. Or a thief could file a tax return in your name, getting a bogus refund before you even know it. None of this is a surprise. Massive data bre
How Can I Find Out If I Am Affected By The Equifax Data Breach
You may have heard that Equifax, one of the big three credit reporting agencies, was hacked. My office has no relationship to Equifax, but I wanted to be sure you know that they’ve disclosed that about 143 million people’s names, Social Security Numbers, credit card information, and more were stolen. Unlike hacks of retailer information (ie: Target hack a few years ago), this breach has the potential to expose people far more seriously to threats of identity theft going forwa
Getting a plan in place and consolidating assets ahead of time can really help a surviving spouse af
MOST of us do not even want to contemplate the death of a spouse or partner — much less the prospect of having to take care of the financial end of such a loss while still grieving. There are, however, plenty of details that people can attend to in advance that can avoid some measure of stress when the time comes. Most people tend to ignore or procrastinate over such tasks — for obvious reasons — but planning can certainly ease some avoidable financial sorrows. The first step
Many times family members are called upon to care for a loved in as age takes it toll. Below is an a
Hard-Won Advice in Books on Aging and Elder Care Your Money By RON LIEBER AUG. 18, 2017 Loretta Anne Woodward Veney with her mother, Doris Woodward. Ms. Veney’s upbeat memoir, “Being My Mom’s Mom,” describes the years she has spent caring for her mother.CreditAlex Wroblewski for The New York Times Longevity is generally better than its alternative. But when the body or especially the mind wears out, caring for yourself or finding someone else to do it for you can impoverish y
Here is more evidence that no one wants your piles of stuff.
Goodwill is 'overrun' with stuff millennials and Gen Xers refuse to take from their parents, who pay up to $5,000 to get rid of it •August 20, 2017 Goodwill is 'overrun' with stuff millennials and Gen Xers refuse to take from their parents, who pay up to $5,000 to get rid of it Younger adult generations won't take their aging parents' stuff, The New York Times reports. Some of these parents are paying thousands of dollars for professional help downsizing. The resistance among
In the last year, I've tried to inform my clients that Courts are more commonly shooting down th
Supreme Court of California, California. JOHN M. CARMACK, as Trustee, etc., et al., Plaintiffs and Respondents, v. RICK H. REYNOLDS, Defendant; TODD A. FREALY, as Trustee in Bankruptcy, etc., Claimant and Appellant. S224985 Decided: March 23, 2017 Counsel: Finlayson Toffer Roosevelt & Lilly, Jesse S. Finlayson and Matthew E. Lilly for Claimant and Appellant. Law Offices of David W. Meadows and David W. Meadows for Defendant. The Eroen Law Firm and Robert C. Eroen for Plaintif
I always tell my clients that consolidating their assets (and purging their "stuff") later
Mothers and daughters talk about all kinds of things. But there is one conversation Susan Beauregard, 49, of Hampton, Conn., is reluctant to have with her 89-year-old mother, Anita Shear: What to do — eventually — with Mrs. Shear’s beloved set of Lenox china? Ms. Beauregard said she never uses her own fine china, which she received as a wedding gift long ago. “I feel obligated to take my mom’s Lenox, but it’s just going to sit in the cupboard next to my stuff,” she said. The
Whether to collect social security benefits early is a question I'm often asked. It's a tric
Most people say you should delay taking Social Security to get a bigger benefit. But rather than waiting for a larger monthly check in the future, I think I'd be much better off collecting Social Security as soon as I can and investing the payments. Do you agree? -- Michael P., Chicago In a word, no. I understand the appeal of what you propose. Many people want to get their hands on their benefits as soon as possible, fearing (incorrectly) that Social Security will go broke.
