By Christine A. Schafer

September 17, 2018

What Is Your Greatest Asset?

What do you consider your greatest asset? Protect your family and your future with a proper estate plan!

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September 17, 2018

Artificial Intelligence vs. Emotional Intelligence.

What can artificial intelligence (“AI”) do for you, the potential client?  Some forms of AI have the ability to analyze research and provide statistical analysis, just like a lawyer does.  Except these forms of AI claim to do it faster and their services are likely cheaper.   Is this problematic for the lawyers of the world?  Will lawyers be out of a career because of AI and other “do it yourself” websites that allow you to create legal documents at a reduced rate? 

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How to Prepare Your Heirs to Receive, Preserve, and Grow Their Inheritance
November 5, 2018

How to Prepare Your Heirs to Receive, Preserve, and Grow Their Inheritance

Estate planning is a process, one with which you have likely been engaging for most of your adult life. Even without consulting an attorney, doing things like taking out a life insurance policy, naming a beneficiary on your retirement account, or making a carefully-labeled photo album for future generations to enjoy are all parts of the estate planning process.

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November 11, 2018

Financial Protection For The Recently Divorced

If you have recently gone through or are currently navigating a divorce, you may be feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and tired of meeting with lawyers. It seems like there is so much to do: separate assets, sell or move homes, negotiate a custody agreement, and settle daily living expenses. It is a lot, but there is one more thing that is often overlooked and is equally as important: updating or creating an estate plan.

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What Happens to Your Student Loans When You Die?
December 6, 2018

What Happens to Your Student Loans When You Die?

If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you know that student loans are bigger and more common than ever before. There is currently over $1.45 trillion in outstanding student loan debt in the United States, and 42 million Americans have some amount of student loan debt (the average borrower owes over $30,000). Despite student loans being incredibly common, there is still a lot student loan borrowers don’t know about their debts. 

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December 12, 2018

Why young parents should write a will

Estate planning isn’t just something you should think about when you are at an “older” age.  I can personally say that for the longest time, I thought you only had to write a will when you reached a certain age, and acquired certain assets. But that isn’t the case at all.  Writing a will isn’t just about the assets, nor do you have to be wealthy to write one. In fact, young people should think about their estates just as much as their parents, for multiple reasons. 

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Your 5 Task Year-End Estate Planning To-Do List
December 27, 2018

Your 5 Task Year-End Estate Planning To-Do List

2019 is fast approaching!  As we all prepare for a new year, it is important that we wrap up any loose ends.  Here are some things that need to be on your end of year checklist:

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January 9, 2019

Do you really need a trust?

Although many people equate “estate planning” with having a will, there are many advantages to having a trust rather than a will as the centerpiece of your estate plan. While there are other estate planning tools (such as joint tenancy, transfer on death, beneficiary designations, to name a few), only a trust provides comprehensive management of your property in the event you can’t make financial decisions for yourself (commonly called legal incapacity) or after your death. 

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January 28, 2019

5 Essential Legal Documents You Need for Incapacity Planning

Let’s kick off a new week with a new topic: Incapacity. 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.  

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January 30, 2019

How to Choose the Right Agent for Your Incapacity Plan

Let’s keep rolling with the topic of incapacity but now let’s focus on choosing the right agent. A common misconception is that estate planning equates to death planning.  But as we mentioned, planning for what happens after you die is only one piece of the estate planning puzzle.  It is just as important to make a plan for what happens if you become mentally incapacitated.

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