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Caring for Aging Parents: How to Protect Relationships and Plan Ahead
Caring for Aging Parents: How to Protect Relationships and Plan Ahead When adult siblings come together to care for aging parents, something unexpected can happen. Instead of bringing families closer, the experience can expose long-standing tensions and create new rifts that do not fully heal. What should be a time of unity can become a
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The White Elephant Gift Nobody Wants: Family Conflict
The White Elephant Gift Nobody Wants: Family Conflict We’ve all been there: the holiday White Elephant gift exchange begins fun and lighthearted. Then Uncle Jim “steals” the massage gun he secretly hoped to keep. Couples team up to keep the best gifts between them. Cousin Sarah ends up with the singing fish. Someone is still
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How to Talk to Your Loved Ones About Death, Money, and Estate Planning at the Holidays
How to Talk to Your Loved Ones About Death, Money, and Estate Planning at the Holidays As the holidays approach, families gather to share food, laughter, and stories. Amid the joy, many families avoid the conversations that matter most. What will happen when you are gone? How will your loved ones be cared for? What
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What to Do When You’re Ready to Create Your Estate Plan but Your Spouse Isn’t
What to Do When You’re Ready to Create Your Estate Plan but Your Spouse Isn’t When you’re ready to finally put an estate plan in place, it’s natural to feel excited and relieved. You’re taking a meaningful step to protect your family, get organized, and make sure everything is handled the way you want if
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Honoring Your Sacrifice: Estate Planning Essentials for Military Families
Each year on November 11, the nation pauses to honor the courage and sacrifice of those who’ve served in the Armed Forces. Beyond the ceremonies and flags, Veterans Day offers military families a meaningful opportunity to reflect on a vital question: Is your family truly protected if something happens to you? If you’ve served or
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How to Keep Wealth in Your Family for Generations
Many families focus on building wealth, but fewer think about keeping it. Research shows that a majority of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation, and by the third generation, the number climbs as high as 90%. This often happens not because parents lack concern for their kids, but because crucial planning elements
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Do Your Parents Have an Estate Plan?
If you are part of the sandwich generation—caring for both your children and your parents at the same time—it is crucial that you know whether or not your parents have an existing estate plan. While the final decisions within their estate plan rest with them, creating a comprehensive estate plan is an absolute necessity, regardless
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Your Cyber Legacy: 3 Tips for Your Digital Assets
Digital assets are a category of commonly overlooked assets that play a crucial role in your estate plan and the legacy you leave behind at your death. It is all right if you did not consider these items when you first created your will or trust; such a mistake is surprisingly common and, luckily, easy
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The Life-or-Death Decisions Your Family Shouldn’t Have to Make Alone
When you think about estate planning, you probably picture wills, trusts, and who gets what. But what happens when decisions are made about your body, without your full consent or when you’re not really gone? A recent federal investigation uncovered a chilling truth: in dozens of cases, patients showed signs of life even as hospital
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A Texas Mail Carrier’s Act of Love Shows Why Your Pets Need a Plan Too
When Ian Burke, a mail carrier from Destin, Texas, heard that Floyd—a 70-pound dog he’d befriended on his delivery route—had ended up in a shelter after his owner’s death, he didn’t hesitate. Burke arrived at the City of Denton Animal Shelter before it opened to be first in line to adopt Floyd and give him