[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Managing someone else’s business when they die or become disabled can take you on a scavenger hunt. You may not know what you need to find or where to find it. To make a tough job worse, privacy laws severely limit the ability of banks […]
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Clients ask from time to time how long they should keep copies of their records. They often say that they have heard that you should keep records for 3 years or 7 years or 10 years. This article provides record retention guidelines for various purposes […]
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Planning for death or nursing home care unnerves some people so much that they never reconsider their plans or they avoid planning altogether. Many people assume (incorrectly) that their wills or trusts need no updates. Laws and family situations change enough that 5-year-old wills and […]
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] We Americans are very agreeable people. We make agreements with hospitals and doctors to deliver our children and with funeral directors to bury our parents. Some simple agreements only require common knowledge. In other cases, however, seemingly simple agreements may have important, permanent consequences. It […]
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Property can be “real property” or “personal property.” Real property (also called “real estate”) is land, including the sky above the land, the land’s surface, and everything attached permanently to it to the land, and everything located below the land’s surface. Personal property is everything […]
Ask anyone about Alzheimer’s disease and you will probably get shudder, grimace, and a story about a friend or family member’s tragic loss of consciousness. Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia conditions impact all of us reaches far beyond dementia patient statistics. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that in 2014, Alzheimer’s disease afflicted about 14,000 Indiana residents […]
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Hollywood must love the will opening “ceremony” because it has recycled the familiar scene repeatedly on the silver screen (Mommy Dearest, Brewster’s Millions, The Ultimate Gift, etc.). The plot usually either begins or climaxes when a lawyer announces that some unrelated person receives almost all […]
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Estate planning clients express surprise sometimes by our response to the question: “Do I need a will or trust?” We often respond: “Both!” Most plans should include will to ensure that assets pass to the intended beneficiaries. We always use a will in concert with […]
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] You’ve worked hard all your life, lived within your means, and saved as much as you could set aside for your retirement. Your children are grown and you qualify for senior citizen’s discounts at many restaurants. A burning question for you and many retirees is […]
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Imagine if you could buy a do-it-yourself book by noted computer software guide author Dan Gookin entitled: Brain Surgery for Dummies. How about a book entitled: Bypass Surgery for Dummies? Such titles seem ridiculous, but today’s self-help society encourages people to read simple books and […]
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