It's wise to have a will, but there’s other information your executor and heirs would benefit from knowing. That's where a "letter of instruction" comes in. Think of it as an overview of your estate plan that covers areas
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Being single puts the responsibility of preparing for your later years squarely on your shoulders, especially if you don’t have adult children. So you need to have a plan.
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April 26, 2019
Howard Dayton
“Fortunes tend to self-destruction by destroying those who inherit them” — so said Henry Ford. How can you help ensure that the inheritance you leave is a blessing, not a curse?
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Each December, we offer planning suggestions for the year ahead. But this isn’t meant to be a one-size-fits-all list. It’s up to you to take our broad collection of ideas and narrow them down to your personal “Top 10” for
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September 26, 2018
Will Ertel, CFP®, CPA, PFS
Many people haven’t drafted a will because they think wills are only for the wealthy. Scripture, however, teaches that responsible stewardship isn’t a function of the size of one’s wealth. Stewardship is about obedience
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Just reading the phrase “long-term care” can strike fear in a Baby Boomer’s heart. Many assume it’s synonymous with nursing-home care (it isn’t), and believe the cost could ruin them (it could; while the odds are
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In the mid-1990s I was in talks with Moody Publishers about the possibility of writing a second book. They asked what topics interested me, and among the ideas we discussed was a book tailored to the financial needs of
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Many older people say they “don’t want to be a burden” on their families. And yet, by not making a handful of key decisions and not completing the associated paperwork, they are leaving themselves vulnerable to the very
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May 25, 2017
Jenny Migdal, CFP®
As a financial planner, one of my responsibilities is to keep up with legislative changes and their effects on clients. Estate planning is an area where change is so frequent — and so confusing — it’s a challenge to stay
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There are countless important decisions to make as you get older. Many of them have a financial focus—how much to withdraw from the nest egg you’ve built, when to take Social Security, how to pay for healthcare and the
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