I’M A SURVIVOR . . . AND NOW I HAVE MY OWN TRUST?
Many married couples share almost everything, including finances. This may be reflected in their estate plan by using one joint living trust instead of two separate trusts. Separate trusts can ...
WHAT IS THE LAST SURVIVING SPOUSE RULE?
Estate planning can be a significant part of successful financial management, especially for married couples. One key consideration is minimizing estate taxes, which can substantially affect the distribution of money ...
Should You Share Your Estate Planning Details With Loved Ones?
When you decide to create a comprehensive estate plan, there are many things to consider. One is whether to tell your loved ones about your plan and how much information ...
How Much Authority Does a Trustee Have Over the Stuff in My Trust?
A trustee is a person or entity responsible for managing and administering your trust according to your instructions and in accordance with Wisconsin law. They are considered a fiduciary (meaning ...
Beware of Unequal Contributions When Purchasing a House
At a time of record home unaffordability, more people are teaming up with friends and relatives to realize the home ownership dream. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), ...
Could a Testamentary Trust Be What Your Loved Ones Need?
One of the main reasons that a person creates a revocable living trust (a trust established during a person’s lifetime that they can amend or revoke) instead of relying on ...
You Can Benefit from Giving Gifts
A benefit of working hard is sharing the fruits of your labor with your loved ones. However, gift or estate tax consequences may impact high net worth clients when they ...
Bills and Services to Cancel—and Keep—When a Loved One Dies
A loved one’s passing is challenging on many different levels. In addition to the emotional difficulty of processing someone’s death, there are also the many tasks that must be dealt ...
What Not to Include in Your Estate Planning Documents
One important purpose of estate planning is to facilitate the transfer of ownership of your money and property to your family and loved ones when you pass away. For this ...
Home Security Systems and Estate Planning
Estate planning helps bring peace of mind and a sense of security, both in our lifetime and beyond. While we cannot predict our fate, we can at least dictate how ...