Her Husband Died Without a Will. Then ICE Came to the Door.
You may think estate planning is about who gets what after you die. It is also about who stays safe, housed, informed, and protected in the days after a loss. The reported story of Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé shows how grief can turn into legal chaos when a family is left without a clear plan. Read more…
Tax Season Made You Look—Now Make It Count.
Your tax return is the most complete picture of your financial life you’ll get all year. But most people close the folder without asking one critical question: if something happened to you tomorrow, are the people you love actually protected? Here’s how to answer it before the window closes. Read more…
Four Years Later: A Case Study in What Happens Without Proper Estate Planning
When you die without a solid plan, you don’t just leave behind grief. You leave behind years of court battles, creditor claims, and paperwork that can drain everything you worked to build, and hand it to a young adult who has no idea where to start. This is exactly what happened to Anne Heche’s family. […]
Gen X Is Approaching Retirement—But Many Are Missing a Critical Piece
As Generation X approaches retirement, many remain without a comprehensive estate plan. This USA Today article explores the risks—and why proactive planning matters.
Here’s What Happens to Your Retirement Accounts After You Die
Retirement accounts follow different rules from other assets you may own. After you die, the people you love most may face unexpected tax burdens if you don’t understand how the rules work. Read more… Retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs often represent the single largest category of wealth for American families. According to recent data, […]
Trusts in a Will vs. Living Trusts: What You Should Know (Part 2)
A living trust offers immediate protection and probate avoidance, but understanding how it works and whether it fits your goals is essential to making the right choice. Read more…
Why a “Quick and Simple” Estate Plan Review Is a Myth
If your estate plan is years old, or you did it yourself, you may call an attorney asking for a quick, low-cost review of your estate planning documents, thinking it’s a quick and easy process. The reality is that an estate plan review is (or should be) more complicated than most people think. Read more…
Protecting Your Legacy: Why Life & Legacy Planning Matters for Black Families
Black History Month reminds us that building generational wealth requires more than hard work. It demands intentional planning to protect what you’ve built. Read more…
Probate: What It Is & How To Avoid It — Part 2
To spare your loved one’s the time, cost, and stress inherent to probate in part one of this series, we explained how the probate process works and what it would entail for your loved ones. Here in part two, we’ll discuss the major drawbacks of probate for your family, and outline the different ways you can help them avoid probate with wise planning.
PROBATE: WHAT IT IS & HOW TO AVOID IT — PART 1
Unless you’ve created a proper estate plan, when you die, many of your assets must pass through the court process known as probate before those assets can be distributed to your heirs. Like most court proceedings, probate can be time-consuming, costly, and open to the public, and because of this, avoiding probate—and keeping your family out of court—is a central goal of most estate plans.