Author Archives: Linda Fisher
Why Would a Person Like Me Need a Will?
Wills don’t have to be complicated, but it’s best to work with a seasoned estate planning attorney. Wills must be dated, signed, witnessed and notarized. If you don’t have a will, it delays the process considerably and may delay payment of the deceased’s assets to his or her heirs. To eliminate some of the… Read More »
How to Spend Your Savings During Retirement
One of the best ways to make sure you have enough money to last you through retirement is to be savvy about how you spend your savings. Everyone’s situation is different, so there is no single formula that will apply to everyone, but it can be helpful to have some general guidelines on how… Read More »
How Can I Protect My Child’s Inheritance, If They Have a Substance Abuse Problem?
Kiplinger’s recent article, “Selecting the Right Trustee and Protector for a Substance Abuse Trust, ” explains that selecting the trustee for a substance abuse trust should start with a good idea of the duties they will perform. Next, find a person or institutional trustee that’s most qualified to fulfill those obligations. Parents should then… Read More »
Why Should I Create a Trust If I’m Not Rich?
It’s probably not high on your list of fun things to do, considering the way in which your assets will be distributed, when you pass away. However, consider the alternative, which could be family battles, unnecessary taxes and an extended probate process. These issues and others can be avoided by creating a trust. Barron’s… Read More »
Do I Need a Living Trust or a Will? Or Both?
This is just one of the reasons people think they want a trust: to ensure that the value of their overall estate will not decrease, because of the cost of probate. The most common way to do that is with a trust, says The Houston Chronicle in the article “Elder Law: Which should I… Read More »
Still Working but Coping with Early Stages of Dementia
There are many factors to consider when you’re still active in the workforce but have received a diagnosis of dementia. How has your job performance been affected? Have you been able to devise a system for maintaining your performance levels, or are you not able to safely proceed with the tasks of your job?… Read More »
Why Can’t You Afford to Procrastinate on These Financial Moves?
Many of us are natural-born procrastinators, especially with financial matters. For instance, it’s not unusual to delay until the last minute to file a tax return, but Motley Fool gives us a few money moves Americans tend to delay—and reasons why you shouldn’t wait any longer in the article “3 Money Moves You Can’t… Read More »
Health Care Decisions in 2019 Require a Medical Power of Attorney
The patient above was asked if he had a living will or a health care directive. He wondered, why are they asking me this? It’s a simple knee replacement surgery. Do they think I am going to die? However, as discussed in the article “Take control of health care decisions in 2019 | Coming… Read More »
Will Getting Married Affect an Older American’s Social Security Benefits?
When you are thinking about getting married, Social Security retirement benefits are probably the last thing on your mind. If you are not fresh out of college, however, you need to think about this question: Will getting married affect an older American’s Social Security benefits? Marriage could affect the amount of Social Security benefits… Read More »
Family Meetings and Trustworthy Siblings Needed to Help Aging Parents
It gets tricky when aging parents start having problems managing their own financial and legal affairs. Siblings can be a challenge, if they lack the ability to understand the changing roles from adult child to caregiver, or if they don’t know how to manage the “business side” of life. That, says the Monterey Herald… Read More »