Category Archives: Estate Planning
Artwork And Your Estate Plan
If you need a fix of human drama, you can do worse than reading Arabic biographical dictionaries from the Middle Ages, such as Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani’s Book of Songs, which says as much about singers and the poets who wrote their lyrics as it does the songs themselves, or al-Khatib al-Baghdadi’s History of Baghdad…. Read More »
The Non-Financial Costs Of Downsizing Your Retirement
One of the biggest decisions you must make about retirement is whether to continue living in your house or to move to another accommodation that is smaller, less expensive, and better suited to your elderly self. Most web content about this decision centers on the financial aspects of it. Since you are retired, work… Read More »
Surviving The Retirement Marital Mismatch
Some people are frustratingly committed to dominating conversations at social events by spouting one size fits all advice in painstaking, uninterruptible detail. If a fellow guest at a social event is droning on about how every retired person should spend his or her time and money and how much it will cost, you can… Read More »
Nieces And Nephews As Beneficiaries Of Your Will
Among the cheaper plot devices writers use is when a character inherits a vast sum of money from an aunt or uncle that the character did not realize was wealthy, and where the character did not know that he or she was a beneficiary of the relative’s will. In practice, inherited wealth passed from… Read More »
Smile Or Smirk: Graphing Your Retirement Expenses In The Form Of A Facial Expression
At this time of year, cash-strapped teachers always write op eds, and old fogeys like us always read them. They fret about how much the education level of our society has declined since they were students, or since they first became teachers. These days, Chat GPT and its fellow chatbots receive a disproportionate share… Read More »
Choosing A Personal Representative For Your Estate Without The Drama
Some estate planning decisions are more fun than others. Thinking about your possible need for nursing home care and how much it will cost is not fun, but other aspects of estate planning feel more like a party, and with good reason. If you have enough optimism to think of a funeral as a… Read More »
The Dangers Of Early Retirement
If your aspiration is to retire before age 60, you should be careful what you wish for. The idea of never having to work again sounds glamorous, but the lack of structure is more than most people can bear. The aspirational content about early retirement does not tell the whole story. People who retire… Read More »
The Summer Family Reunion Estate Plan Talk
Multigenerational vacations are stressful, no matter your age and financial circumstances. As a child, you might not mind the idea of seeing your cousins who live out of state or of swimming in the hotel swimming pool, but deep down, you would rather stay home and play Roblox. It spoils the fun, though, that… Read More »
Address Your Scariest Debts Now, Before You Retire
During your working years, thoughts of debts and how much you owe on the next installment are a constant presence. Your days are a scramble not to miss the grace period on any of your debt obligations. You pay and pay, with barely any money left over from your paycheck after all those debt… Read More »
Estate Planning Is Your Best Protection Against A Late In Life Windfall
Florida has had a lottery for years; if you remember when it didn’t, you are officially old. The arguments about a statewide lottery legalizing vices now sound quaint. Cannabis is at least somewhat legal not only in Florida but also in many less free-spirited states. No one can argue that Floridians would be in… Read More »
