Financial & Estate Planning

You may have several options when deciding who should be the beneficiary of your IRA. Your spouse: He or she …More

Many Americans have so-called “blended” families. In such a family, one or both spouses have children from a previous marriage. …More

Every trust needs a trustee to assume responsibility for handling trust assets. Your choices include: Individual trustee: A friend or …More

Retirees who are entitled to a pension usually must make a choice, if they’re married: * Single-life pension. As indicated, …More

If you leave your IRA to minors, perhaps your grandchildren, they may enjoy substantial wealth by stretching out distributions, thus …More

You should be confident that the assets you’ve accumulated during your lifetime will pass to chosen recipients, at your death. …More

If you are holding Section 529 college savings plans, possibly for your children or grandchildren, chances are that you’ll accumulate …More

Retirement planning means more than building up a large investment fund. Other vital steps: * Pay off debt. Before you …More

In a truly worst-case scenario, you or your spouse may someday wind up in a coma, on a feeding tube, …More

Chances are you’ve spent a certain amount of time on the creation of your will. You’ve discussed the provisions with …More

Employees typically fill out an IRS Form W-4 when they start a new job and then forget about it. The …More

In the U.S. legal system, the slightest misstep can lead to a huge award or a sizable settlement in a …More

When you buy or sell stocks through a broker, there are two types of orders you can place: A market …More

If you set up a trust with more than one beneficiary, how can you avoid family squabbles? With a “total …More

You may lose the ability to manage your own affairs as you grow older. Therefore, it’s necessary to have an …More

Every trust needs a trustee to assume responsibility for handling trust assets. Your choices include: Individual trustee: A friend or …More

About two-fifths of households with heads aged 60 through 64 have primary mortgages and about one-fifth also have secondary mortgages, …More

Some assisted living communities are willing and perhaps eager to accept residents who might need more than a little assistance …More

Many investors take risks in non-traditional investments, including startup businesses. They don’t realize that most startups fail, and that such …More

If you’re thinking about investing in real estate, you also should think about how to hold title to the property. …More

Many charities offer charitable gift annuities (CGAs). With these arrangements, you donate assets to charity in return for a stream …More

As part of your financial and estate planning, you should make arrangements for your care in case you become incapacitated. …More

For older homeowners, a reverse mortgage might increase the money available for retirement spending. With a reverse mortgage, you get …More

When you create a trust as part of your estate plan, there are three roles to fill: * The grantor. …More

Putting assets in trust can protect them from creditors but not every asset can or should be transferred to a …More

Every trust has a trustee, who holds property for one or more beneficiaries. Indeed, the most important person in the …More

Revocable living trusts are increasingly popular. In most revocable trusts, you (the trust creator) are also the trustee and the …More

There are several advantages to setting up a payable-on-death bank account, known as an “in trust for” account in some …More

When you annuitize a variable annuity, you take the risk that you might die right away, and the payment stream …More

Many estate tax plans use an "A-B" trust structure: * The A trust may be called a marital trust. The …More