About 1.5 million Americans become widows and widowers in a normal year, but the pandemic has boosted that significantly. The National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University estimates that about 380,000 of more than 700,000 people in the U.S. who have died from Covid were married.
That last will and testament you have tucked away? It may not be the last word on what happens to your stuff after you are gone. Instead, that legal document’s directives for doling out your wealth may be overruled by other paperwork and relevant laws.
Major changes in your life—such as marriage, having a baby, moving out of state, or divorce—should prompt a revisit to your current will. It is important to revise your will at these times, in order to ensure that your estate planning is up to date.
As parents of children with special needs age, they should revisit the decisions they made—sometimes many years ago—regarding guardianship, beneficiarie, and other aspects of their child’s care.
Inherited assets come with benefits, along with some burdens
If you think saving for retirement is complicated, try figuring out how to withdraw retirement funds while minimizing taxes.
Estate planning is a crucial part of any holistic financial plan, and financial advisors often work with estate planning attorneys for guidance in this area.
You’ve inherited an individual retirement account, or IRA. Now what?
Some people might assume that estate planning is only for the wealthy. However, the reality is that anyone can, and should, engage in estate planning, regardless of wealth. Although creating an estate plan for same-sex couples isn’t totally different than for heterosexual couples, there are some considerations that are unique to same-sex couples.
For traditional 401(k) plans and IRAs, you generally get a tax break when you make contributions and then pay taxes on the withdrawals in retirement. In contrast, Roth versions of those accounts come with no upfront tax break, but qualified withdrawals are excluded from federal income taxes.
