Your Family Matters Blog
I Don’t Have Kids, So Why Do I Need Estate Planning? Part I
It's a common misconception to think that if you don’t have children, you don’t need to worry about estate planning. But the fact is, it can be even MORE important to do estate planning if you have no children. Some of the common thoughts behind this mistaken belief...
How to Incorporate Family Values in Your Estate Planning
Baby boomers know money isn’t the only important aspect of estate planning. A 2012 study released by the Allianz Life Insurance; Co. showed baby boomers wanted to leave their family more than just financial assets. Researchers found baby boomers identified family...
The Key Differences Between Wills & Trusts
When discussing estate planning, a will is what most people think of first. Indeed, wills have been the most popular method for passing on assets to heirs for hundreds of years. But wills aren’t your only option. And if you rely on a will alone to pass on what...
3 Deadly Sins of Retirement Planning
Retirement planning is one of life’s most important financial goals. Indeed, funding retirement is one of the primary reasons many people put money aside in the first place. Yet many of us put more effort into planning for our vacations than we do to prepare for a...
Life is Multifaceted: Teach a Child to Be Open & Embrace Complexities
When you picture a “normal” family, what do you see? Is it the traditional notion of one male parent and one female parent, two kids, and a family pet? Or do you see something different? Or perhaps you reject the notion of a “normal” family altogether? Recent court...
5 Estate Planning Must-Dos if You’re Getting Divorced—Part 2
In the first part of this series, we discussed a couple of the most critical updates you must make to your estate plan if you’re getting divorced. Here, we’ll cover the last three of these must-do planning tasks. Because getting divorced can be overwhelming on so many...
5 Estate Planning Must-Dos if You’re Getting Divorced—Part 1
Divorce can be traumatic for the whole family. Even if the process is amicable, it involves many tough decisions, legal hassles, and painful emotions that can drag out over several months, or even years. That said, while you probably don’t want to add any more items...
Understand What’s at Stake Before Agreeing to Serve as Trustee
Being asked by a family member or close friend to serve as trustee for their trust upon their death can be an incredible honor. At the same time, however, serving as a trustee can be a massive responsibility—and the role is not for everyone. In fact, depending on the...