Providing for Your Pet With a Trust

We all want the best for our furry friends, and the best way to ensure that they’ll be well taken care of is with a pet trust. Believe it or not, you can set up a trust specifically to provide for your pets - and you’ll likely be surprised how much you’re able to specify for the care of your favorite animals. And “pets” includes more than dogs or cats: they can be birds fish, horses, almost anything else. How Does a Read More

ACE Client Care™ Is Here to Keep Your Estate Planning On Track and Relevant!

ACE Client Care is a unique benefit for our clients - and to the best of our knowledge, no other estate firm in the area has anything like it. Just as your financial plan needs to be adjusted from time to time, your estate plan will needs to stay on course as well.  When your airline flies you somewhere, your pilots, every so often, reach a certain spot on the map called a “waypoint.” Their flight plan indicates the Read More

Planning to Protect From Medicaid Asset Recovery

Every month, more and more Americans enroll in the Medicaid program to pay for their long-term care costs. While this program can help provide important access to healthcare, those considering signing up should be aware of a serious risk that comes with it - Medicaid Asset Recovery. With the right planning, however, you can eliminate the risk of Medicaid asset recovery causing an issue for your loved ones. What is Read More

Don’t Go On Vacation Without an Updated Estate Plan!

Keeping your estate plan up-to-date is always crucial, and even more so when you’re on vacation. We know it’s likely one of the last things you want to do before hitting the beach, but updating your estate plan before your vacation could save you a lot of trouble. Even a simple issue can cause big problems when you're away from home. Losing a credit card, for example, could easily be handled back at home by a loved Read More

Power of Attorney for Your College Child

Heading off to college is a big moment for almost every young adult, and brings with it a whole new breadth of freedom and independence. Understandably, a lot of parents are concerned for the well-being of their children who are on their own, potentially for the first time in their lives. Power of attorney documents can provide the best of both worlds by providing young adults the freedom they want, while also Read More

Estate Planning With Special Needs Children

While privacy laws give parents access to their minor child’s medical information, they create a problem for those raising children who will need assistance past the age of 18. Although an eighteen-year-old is presumed to be able to make their own decisions, this isn’t true for children with challenges that prevent them from understanding their options, or communicating what they want. To avoid losing the ability to Read More

Can You Have Too Much Money in Your Retirement Accounts?

You might be thinking: What do you mean, too much money in my account? How is that possible? You were likely told to save as much money as possible with your IRA and maximize 401(k) contributions, which is very common advice. If you followed that advice, however, you may end up with too much money accumulated in these accounts.  What’s the Problem? When you’ve finally achieved retirement, and are ready to begin Read More

You Should Consider Power of Attorney for Your Child

Your child’s 18th birthday is an exciting, but nerve-wracking event. They now have full control over their finances and medical decisions, which understandably stresses some parents. You no longer have access to their medical records, or the ability to make important medical decisions for them. While you may be concerned, some options will allow you to retain the ability to make medical or financial decisions on Read More

Guardianship Versus Power of Attorney – Which do I Need?

When family members become disabled, someone needs to have official, legal authority to take care of their finances, make medical decisions, and generally step into their shoes. There are two legal ways this can be set up. One way is done in advance, while the other can’t be done unless they’re disabled. Advance Planning With a Power of Attorney Power of attorney is a legal document signed by someone who is not Read More

Why Can’t I Just Put Beneficiaries on Everything?

When looking at your assets, it is often a good idea to name someone as a beneficiary so that they will become the full owner of something upon your death. One common example of this is to have your spouse listed as a beneficiary on certain financial accounts so that they have immediate access to the money. This leads many people to wonder why things like a Will or Trust is even necessary. Why not just list specific Read More