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Beyond the Documents: How Ongoing Asset Alignment and Purposeful Estate Planning can Enhance Life for You and Your Loved Ones

Watch this short video that briefly explains the importance of aligning your assets with your family’s estate planning documents. In 2017, I decided to work with a Nevada attorney who I know and trust to create an additional component to my estate plan. Like many of you who have created an estate plan, I worked with the attorney for a few weeks on

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Five Reasons to Embrace the Emotional Side of Estate Planning

As we are enjoying these last few days and weeks of summer, perhaps travelling or spending time at the beach, is it possible that estate planning isn’t the first thing on our minds? ? When you hear the phrase “estate plan,” you might first think about paperwork. Or your mind might land on some of the uncomfortable topics that estate planning

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Successful Trust Administration – A Map for Your Treasure

I’m an Estate Planning paralegal with a focus on Trust Administration.  Trust administration is the process of carrying out the terms and wishes of the creators of the trust because something has happened to them – such as incapacity or their passing away.  Unfortunately, in all the years that I have been a Trust Administration Paralegal, I have never run into

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What Does an Estate Planning Paralegal Do? Google It.

My guess is when you searched Google on what exactly Estate Planning Paralegals do, your search provided a very ordinary, solid, routine list of tasks. Estate Planning Paralegals support the attorney by talking and meeting with clients. Estate Planning Paralegals also prepare drafts of trusts, wills and other estate planning documents. I have been working as an Estate Planning Paralegal for

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Four Common Myths about Estate Planning

1) Myth: My spouse can make all of my healthcare and financial decisions because he/she is my spouse. Reality: This is not always the case. To make sure your spouse can indeed make important medical decisions on your behalf, you should sign a durable power of attorney and a medical advance directive. 2) Myth: I’ve told my family how I want

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What Estate Planning Awareness Means For You

Estate planning is important for everyone regardless of wealth or family status because if you become incapacity or pass away without an estate plan, you are leaving the distribution of your assets subject to state law – and the results may not be what you want or expect. Estate Planning Explained Estate planning includes the growth, protection, and transfer of a

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Three Tips for Talking About Your Estate Plan During the Holidays

The holidays are here, bringing the joyous season of gathering with family and loved ones into full swing. It is the time to slow down, get caught up with loved ones, and enjoy the family and experience quality time around the dinner table. It is also a great idea to take this opportunity to review your estate plan and talk about

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Trusts – The Swiss Army Knife of Estate Planning

To the general public, a trust may seem like an advanced tool only for the wealthiest among us. But, the reality is that trusts are a foundational estate planning tool with a solid history for being highly effective in ensuring a person’s wishes are carried out. The process begins with the maker of a trust – commonly referred to as the

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Retirement saving and pension planning

Estate Planning Considerations for Benefits Open Enrollment

The fall, generally late-October or early-November, is the time when employers send out summaries of employee benefits offered by the company and give employees the option to enroll in these benefits. These can generally include retirement plan options, health care, dental, vision, short and/or long-term disability, and life insurance coverage. Your employer may pay 100 percent of the premiums, split the

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Big “Life Changes” Often Mean Big “Estate Plan Changes”

Many people who put together an estate plan do so when they start a family – assuming they put an estate plan together at all during their lifetime. While putting an estate plan together is a good thing to do, many people make few updates once the plan has been created, despite other key life events happening over the years. This

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