Category Archives: Estate Planning
Minors As Beneficiaries of a Will
You can name almost anyone as a beneficiary of your will. Charitable organizations can inherit money from you, and so can any individual, regardless of his or her relationship to you. Non-human animals cannot be beneficiaries of a will. There is no limit to the age of the beneficiaries. An aphorism of estate planning… Read More »
Is Retirement a Death Trap?
Retiring young is a lot of people’s dream. It is the goal of the financial independence, retire early (FIRE) movement. Be careful what you wish for, though. An early retirement does not ensure you more years of good health or more years of financial stability than you would have if you had remained in… Read More »
Hot Estate Plan Summer
You have never truly been poor if traveling to visit family has been an annual event, and especially not if the family gathers in a tourist destination where none of you live. While it is not as stressful as relentless financial desperation, facing the annual family reunion takes courage once you are an adult…. Read More »
Filial Responsibility and Maryland Law
Caring for elderly parents can be financially burdensome, no matter the circumstances. People who do not live near their parents may contribute to the cost of home health aide services or nursing home care. They might co-sign with their parents so that the son or daughter is legally responsible for the nursing home bills… Read More »
The Generous Aunt’s Dilemma
You are proud of the many roles you play in life, as a professional mentor, a cat mom, and a well-traveled and well-read person. People are impressed with your credentials, your resourcefulness, and your repeated triumphs over adversity, but the title of which you are the proudest is “cool aunt.” You have worn this… Read More »
The Perils of Being a Trustee
Trust between two people is something pure and priceless. It means that each one assumes that the other does not have ulterior motives. Whoever said that money is the root of all evil must have been thinking of trust law. People place their money in a trust because they want it to fly under… Read More »
Is Assisted Living as Stress-Free as It Sounds?
Some people constantly fret about the messy, cluttered state of their houses, while others wear it as a badge of pride. Of course you didn’t have time to organize your bedroom closet. You work 40 hours per week, and you spend your evenings helping your children with their homework or answering work emails while… Read More »
What Happens to Your Estate Plan When You Divorce?
If you look for it, you can find aspirational content about people who claim that divorce gave them a new lease on life. Most of it is selling you false hope. While you might feel relieved about getting out of an unhappy marriage, you might be among the large group of recently divorced people… Read More »
Is Insurance Your Ticket Out of Creditor Claims During Probate?
Once you get past the estate planning conversations about sunset walks on the beach and spoiling your grandchildren at the holidays, the subject often turns to expenses that a deceased person’s estate can incur, the things that will diminish the value of your property between your death and when your heirs receive their inheritance…. Read More »
Meet the Exhausted Matriarchs of the 99 Percent
To say that a mother’s work is never done is to state the obvious. Your children still need you long after the days when you spoon feed them applesauce, install training wheels on their bikes, or drive them to school early on a Saturday morning to sit for a college entrance exam. The most… Read More »
