Are Transfer on Death Deeds a Good Alternative to Estate Planning?

Q. I was recently discussing with my husband what would happen to our house in Annandale, Virginia when we are no longer around, especially since we don’t have our estate planning in place yet. One my friends’ parents recently … [Read more...]

Why Should Millennials and Gen Zers Care About Estate Planning?

Dear Raider,I’m in my 20’s and have never thought about estate planning. My older sister recently told me at a family gathering that she has her estate planning documents in place. I don’t understand why she would want to do … [Read more...]

How Are Taxes Filed if One Spouse is on Medicaid and the Other Spouse Has an Irrevocable Trust? And Does Getting Social Security Change How Taxes Get Filed?

Q. Thank you again for working with our family last year to protect our parents' assets, get our father approved for nursing home Medicaid, and set up an irrevocable Living Trust Plus for our mother. Now that it's tax time, we … [Read more...]

Jay Leno Files for Conservatorship Over His Wife’s Estate

TV icon Jay Leno and his wife, Mavis Leno, have been married for 43 years — and by all accounts they are still in love. Mavis, 77, suffers from dementia, and according to a recent court filing, she has been “progressively losing … [Read more...]

Critter Corner: What Do I Need to Do to Comply with the Corporate Transparency Act?

Dear Kiwi and Mango,I have an LLC that owns a rental property. I understand that I need to submit beneficial ownership information (BOI) to the US Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), per … [Read more...]

Does My Spouse Have a Right to a Share of My Home?

Q1. I am giving serious thought to my estate planning and to who I want to leave most of my assets to when I am no longer around. I am seriously considering leaving the bulk to my two children and not my spouse. I live in … [Read more...]

Critter Corner: Should You Tell Your Heirs What They Should Expect to Inherit? 

Dear Kiwi and Mango, My wife and I are in the process of doing our estate planning documents. One decision we have yet to make is whether we should tell our heirs what they should expect to inherit, in advance. What are some … [Read more...]

Is a Reverse Mortgage a Good Strategy in This Economy?

If you’re a homeowner nearing retirement age, you’ve probably seen the TV commercials about reverse mortgages. Tom Selleck offers a friendly explanation of reverse mortgages and how people use them. How accurate is what he and … [Read more...]

Top Five Reasons Banks Won’t Accept a Power of Attorney and What You Can Do About It

Q. My aunt signed a Power of Attorney naming her son, my cousin Andy, as her POA. When Andy took it to the bank, he was told that the document had to be on the bank’s form to be valid. This happened in Texas, but I’m concerned … [Read more...]

Critter Corner: Why Would an 18-Year-Old Need a Power of Attorney?

Dear Raider,A friend told me that when her son headed to college, they had a Power of Attorney drafted for him. Isn’t 18 way too young to think about these types of things? Why would an 18-year-old need a Power of Attorney or … [Read more...]

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