Estate Planning
How to Avoid Taking On the Medical Debts of Parents or other Relatives
This month ABC 15 shared a story about a Valley man who lost 10 family members to COVID 19. Soon after, the medical bills started rolling from losing his dad and his mom’s subsequent hospitalization. The debt is crushing. And he is not alone. ABC says that “hundreds of people have shared their story about…
READ MORE →What Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Taught Us About Estate Planning
This week marked the one year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter accident that also killed eight others, including his daughter Gianna. While the exact reason for the crash has yet to be officially announced (it’s scheduled February 9, 2021) the lawsuits have already started. Part of the litigation is a case…
READ MORE →Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Revised Will Due to COVID
Here is a sentence that will stop you in your tracks and make you think: “[Larry] Fitzgerald is a 37-year-old professional athlete. Strong. Committed. In peak physical condition. And COVID-19 had him revising his will.” (EJ Montini, Arizona Republic) The future hall-of-famer spent 13 days in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 on Thanksgiving. He…
READ MORE →What is a Power of Attorney and Why It’s Important, Especially Now
With the COVID virus starting to make a second surge across the United States, including here in Arizona, one of the most common questions I get from people both online and in person is relating to Medical and Financial Powers of Attorney. Usually it is from folks with an aging or ill parent or parents or parents of…
READ MORE →Chronic Illness & Estate Planning
Sean Connery passed away in his sleep at age 90 after suffering from dementia. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, according to the Alzheimers Association. “He was a model of a man. It is going to be very hard without him, I know that. But it could not last forever and…
READ MORE →9 Reasons to Update Your Estate Plan, 2024-2025 Edition
Examining and potentially updating your estate plan is critical this year more than ever. Estate plans are a work in progress – they require regular reviews and updates. This is especially true given the current environment: an election year, potential shifts in tax laws and ongoing health concerns like COVID-19, flu, and RSV affecting families…
READ MORE →Why Patriot’s Day is a Reminder to Plan
“On this day… 19 years ago 246 people went to sleep in preparation for their morning flights. 2,606 people went to sleep in preparation for work in the morning tomorrow. 343 firefighters went to sleep in preparation for their morning shift. 60 police officers went to sleep in preparation for morning patrol. 8 paramedics went…
READ MORE →Guest Post: Maintaining Your Estate, A Simple Guide to Storing Art, Antiques and Collectibles
Guest post: Storing art, antiques and collectibles can be stressful, since these items are very delicate. This guide can help you plan properly. If you are a passionate collector, then your antiques do not only hold material value, but they also have sentimental value and they are part of you (and your estate). Therefore, if…
READ MORE →COVID-19 Estate Planning: A Journey, Not a Destination
Estate Planning is a Journey, Not a Destination, Especially During COVID-19 A lot of people are contacting me because they are scared of COVID-19 and want to be prepared just in case. They come because they know they should act responsibly, but the problem that has kept them from making an appointment before continues to…
READ MORE →Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Estate Planning 2020
In the last few years various polls have proven that at least half of our population does not have any kind of estate planning in place. Reasons range from being misinformed to just not wanting to deal with thoughts about death. Totally reasonable. Except, and forgive my bluntness, people die every day even when the…
READ MORE →Guest Post: Relocating Your Elderly Loved One
Providing care to our parents as they age and then in the final stages of their lives looks a lot different than it did in the past. That’s because shared living (when two or more adults who are not romantically involved live together) is on the upswing. “Adults who live in someone else’s household typically…
READ MORE →Guest Post: Financial Mistakes to Help Seniors Avoid After the Death of their Spouse
Seniors who have lost their spouses are going through the process of grieving, but life around them continues to move forward. As nice as it would be for them to focus on adjusting to life without their spouse by their side, there are various financial matters they must face. During such an emotionally charged time,…
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