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Standard rules for dealing with digital accounts, have yet to be developed. Rules and regulations vary greatly between different states and between different websites on which people have accounts.  However, there are a few things everyone can do now to make it easier for others to handle their ...

If you can and do work past the traditional retirement age, you may live a longer life. It is possible that people who continue to work past retirement age are not only going to make more money but live longer, according to Harvard Health Publisher...

Some estate planning mistakes should be avoided, but they aren't! Some basic mistakes should never be made in the first place.  However, unfortunately they happen over and over again. While a comprehensive list of these mistakes probably is not possible, a list of surprising errors we...

Foreign real estate can be difficult for estate planners, as well as heirs. Many countries have strict rules about who may inherit property. These rules are unlike anything in the U.S. Attorneys who practice in the foreign country need to be consulted, so any estate plan can take the foreign...

The estate has filed many lawsuits. This time it is suing the Walt Disney Company over a documentary. The Walt Disney Company is being sued by the Michael Jackson estate, over a documentary that includes footage of his two children, plus short clips of two of his songs.

You don't just have to save money, you must save money wisely. Because it takes a long time to save for retirement and investments must be chosen wisely, researchers looked into the saving habits of people in the U.S. and 15 other countries. The results were not encouraging...

Estate plans often benefit from the use of life insurance.  However, it should be approached cautiously. Life insurance is a possible solution to supplying ready cash during probate or if you don't have sufficient assets. However, mistakes can be made in the process, according to Wealth Management...

You may create a trust online or in other ways, but is your trust funded? Trusts must be funded, but that does not mean just putting money in them. It means transferring the title of property to the trust, according to the Times Herald-Record in "How to transfer assets to a trust."

No one wants to end up in a nursing home.  However, if you do, it is best to have planned ahead. People who need nursing home care do not have a choice. One of the big problems is that staying in a nursing home for any length of time is incredibly expensive. It is also likely to get more exp...

Families are often silent about what should happen, if a parent becomes terminally ill or when a parent passes away. It is generally taken into consideration within a family, that a parent will some day pass away. However, it is not often discussed how painful this can be for the children...

An inheritance can be wasted in many ways, including avoiding work and making bad investments. There are many possible scenarios that could lead to a wasted inheritance. Fears that this will happen appear to be on the rise, because in the next few decades the largest transfer of wealth from ...

There are many ways to transfer assets. The challenge is sometimes conflicting instructions. It is important that all the different ways assets can pass down do not contradict one another, or an estate plan may not be effective. A common problem that creates conflict was discussed recently....

The government continues its campaign to fight the financial abuse of the elderly in U.S. with a joint webcast by federal agencies. The government has increased its efforts in recent years to combat the financial abuse of the growing elderly population in the U.S. Despite these efforts, many...

Legislators have been working to provide greater access to digital assets for estate administrators. Estate plans almost have to include plans for what to do with digital assets these days.  However, many people are still confused about what digital assets actually are. There are four differ...

Creating an estate plan can be easy.  However, there are many opportunities to fail. The ease of writing your own will or downloading some forms from the Internet, can make you jump to the conclusion that you don't need professional assistance.

You are young, or you don't have many assets and that means you don't need an estate plan. Wrong! It is true that if people do not own any real estate and do not have any other property of high value, it will not be too difficult for their families to handle their estates.

Sometimes little thought is given in the choice of executor. That can create problems. The person in charge of your estate is the executor. Instead of thinking about whether the person they are choosing is the right person, many people just pick a close friend or relative.

Planned giving is one way to leave a good legacy. Assets are often the first thought about estate planning.  However, that does not mean your other values have to be left out of your estate plan completely. You can use your estate plan for planned charitable giving, according to the Nash...

There are good ways and bad ways to give to charities. It often depends on the charity. People often decide to leave some or all of their assets to charity.  However, the best way to find out how to give to any specific charity is to talk to that charity, according to Mountain Xpress...

Joint ownership means you don't have to go through probate.  However, the risks are high—very high. A parent will sometimes decide to add a child to the deed to their home and that means an equal share. It also means that if the child has creditors, they can seek to make claims against t...

If you don't have an estate plan but do have minor children, it can become complicated. Most parents would choose to have their estate pass to their children, if they do not have a formal estate plan.  However, if those children are minor, some challenges can arise, according to My San Antonio...

Some parents want to give everything to their children right now … but wait! Unless you have an estate plan, before your children can inherit the estate it must to go through the probate process. That can be both expensive and time-consuming.

May is National Elder Law Month. No elderly person should have to suffer from abuse of any kind. Now is a good time for the elderly to get informed about their legal options for all sorts of things, according to News 4 San Antonio...

If your spouse has assets, it is likely that Medicare will take them into consideration. Medicaid is likely to ignore any spousal agreements and consider the assets of each spouse when determining eligibility, according to My San Antonio in "Protecting separate assets from Medicaid."

Digital assets need to be protected now.  However, they also need to be made available later. Protecting your digital assets before you pass away and making them available later, can create some conflicts. There are three basic complications, when it comes to planning for someone else to acc...