Estate Planning: Why Me, Why Now, and Is a Will Enough? You have worked hard for years, have family members and friends you care about, and have approached a time in your life when “estate planning” sounds like something you should do, but you are not exactly sure why. You may feel that you are not wealthy enough or not…
New Baby? Time to Create Your Estate Plan Estate planning is often one item that gets pushed back on nearly everyone’s to-do list. The reasons you might be delaying vary: lack of time, not thinking you have enough assets, not knowing how to start, or fear of contemplating death. Whatever the reason for not putting an estate plan together, it…
Tools You Can Use to Leave Words of Wisdom to the Next Generation You come into the world a blank slate, and as you grow, you gain wisdom. You’ve planned your estate to leave physical assets to beneficiaries, so now think about leaving them something that’s just as important but less tangible: the hard-won wisdom you’ve accumulated over your life.…
Not Just Death and Taxes: 5 Essential Legal Documents You Need for Incapacity Planning Comprehensive estate planning is more than your legacy after death, avoiding probate, and saving on taxes. Good estate planning includes a plan in place to manage your affairs if you become incapacitated during your life and can no longer make decisions for yourself. What happens without…
Your Cyber Legacy: 3 Tips for Your Digital Assets There’s an entire category of commonly-overlooked legacy to consider – digital assets. Don’t worry if you didn’t consider these assets when made your will or trust – it’s surprisingly common and, luckily, easy to correct. What are digital assets? They include: ● your photos (yes, all those selfies are a digital…
The Family Farm: Strategies for Surviving and Thriving “I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.” -George Washington The growth and strength of our nation, with its vast geographic territory, are integrally connected to farming. Although the percentage of the population engaged in farming has shrunk dramatically since the nation’s early days, there are still…
Succession Planning and the Family Farm 01/01/12 | WealthCounsel Quarterly | Todd N. Hallock, JD. | Sara Nelson Hallock, JD “Those who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever he had a chosen people, whose breasts he has made his peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue.” – Thomas Jefferson The farmer as virtuous is…
Wills, Trusts & Dying Intestate: How They Differ Most people understand that having some sort of an estate plan is, as Martha Stewart would say, a “good thing.” However, many of us don’t take the steps to get that estate plan in place because we don’t understand the nuances between wills and trusts – and dying without either. Here’s what…
Wills vs. Trusts: A Quick & Simple Reference Guide Confused about the differences between wills and trusts? If so, you’re not alone. While it’s always wise to contact experts like us, it’s also important to understand the basics. Here’s a quick and simple reference guide: What Revocable Living Trusts Can Do – That Wills Can’t ● Avoid a conservatorship and…
Estate Planning: 3 Reasons We Run the Other Way We understand that it feels hard to get around to estate planning; it sounds about as fun as getting a root canal. However, we also understand that we all want to make sure that our loved ones are protected and receive our hard-earned assets – regardless of whether we have $10…