Estate Planning After Your Will is Drafted

August 29, 2014

I talk with a lot of people who have absolutely nothing done in their estate planning efforts.No will, no medical directives, nothing. So, I spend a lot of time talking about what would make up the standard “Estate Planning 101” package that they could have an attorney draft.  The basic documents that nearly everyone should have in place are a will, powers of attorney for financial and medical decisions, and advance medical directives.  With these basic documents in place, most people could check “estate planning” off of their to do list.  But, to dig a layer deeper, what are some things that you can do after you’ve signed your basic documents, never to look at them again? Continue reading “Estate Planning After Your Will is Drafted”

Three Common Estate Planning Mistakes That You Can Easily Avoid

October 01, 2012

When I made a mistake once on my taxes, I got a notice from the IRS in the mail asking me to pay what I actually owed and a little extra for interest and penalties.  This was certainly not a pleasant experience, but all it really cost me was money and my pride. However, when you make a mistake in estate planning and don’t catch it, you may not know it until it is too late.  The very people you were trying to take care of may end up muttering your name under their breath in frustration because they have some problems on their hands. Continue reading “Three Common Estate Planning Mistakes That You Can Easily Avoid”