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Tag: will

What’s Worse Than Having No Will? Having Two

Estate planning matters. Not having a will can leave surviving family members to struggle with legal complexities, increased costs, and strained relationships as they make decisions that they can only hope the deceased would have approved. It adds pain and heartache....

Are Unequal Inheritances Fair?

It’s not very often that I see an estate plan that treats children unequally. When I do, it is usually because a parent is estranged from one child and leaves him or her nothing. In estate planning, “equal” isn’t necessarily the same as “fair.” Recently, a client I’ll...

Why Are Bequests to Charity So Rare?

Based on my experience, American societal money scripts around estate planning appear to be “Good parents leave everything to family,” and “The more money I can leave my kids the better off they will be.” It’s not surprising, then, that estate...

Failing To Make A Will: A Final Act of Unkindness

We’ve made it to the middle of January, that time of year that is the graveyard for so many New Year’s resolutions. Even if you abandon any other resolutions you may have made, though, please consider carrying out a very important one. Resolve to make a...

Why Paying Executor Is Fair To Estate And Heirs

Does the executor of an estate deserve to be compensated for that service? Absolutely. As last week’s column pointed out, serving as an executor is often a time-consuming, emotionally draining task. Yet the issue of payment for an executor, especially one who is...