I came across this fascinating, if a bit morbid, infographic today. Essentially, it strips funeral, cremation and other burial services down to their basic costs. I think what I found most interesting was the extreme rise in funeral costs from an average of $709 in...
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estate planning
Providing for children conceived after death
Karen and Robert Capato married in 1999. Robert was diagnosed with cancer soon after their marriage; they knew they wanted children, so they began trying and also froze some of Robert's sperm. They had a son, but knew that they wanted more children. After Robert's...
Regulating estates lawyers
I happened across this article in IFA Online the other day about regulation of estates lawyers in the UK. Essentially, their governing body has proposed making will drafting a "reserved" area of practice, so that only those lawyers with special expertise (and...
Choose your own executor
I reference Gerry Beyer's Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog a lot because he has so much good stuff there. I've had this one in the back of my mind for several months and finally have the chance to post it. Gerry wrote back in November about a checklist for...
Protecting a disabled beneficiary
I see many clients who have children with medical conditions, most often varying degrees of autism, that will make it very difficult for them to manage their finances in the future. For these clients, there is a very specific type of trust that I put into their wills...
Caring for your pet during incapacity
Laura West at the All About Estates blog posted last week about planning for your pet's care during your incapacity. I have blogged before about pet trusts on your death, but it is also important to set up a plan for what will happen in case you are unable to care for...