The Right Way to Read the Percentage of Americans With a Will
Americans with a will: Gallup’s 2021 phone poll found 46%, Caring.com’s 2025 study 24%. Here’s what explains the difference.
Estate Planning
The Right Way to Know When to Update Your Estate Plan
When to update estate plan? After a spouse dies, a Form 706 deadline controls portability. Ten triggers, scored, show what to fix first.
Smart Digital Assets Estate Planning Steps So Family Can Get In
Digital assets estate planning has a catch: an executor sees a catalog of your messages, not their content, without your consent.
A Clear Blended Family Estate Planning Guide for Stepkids
Blended family estate planning under the 2026 federal exclusion of $15,000,000 is mostly control, not federal tax. See what stepkids get with a plan.
Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples and the Overlooked Gaps
Unmarried couples inherit by paperwork, not by default. See where the IRS treats a partner as a non-spouse: gifts, IRAs and the family home.
Naming a Guardian for Minor Children in Your Will, Step by Step
A guardian for minor children raises the child, but a separate seat controls the money, and a court supervises one option.
A Clear Signing Order for Estate Planning After Diagnosis
Estate planning after diagnosis starts with a proxy and power of attorney, but a gift within the 2026 $19,000 exclusion can still be a Medicaid transfer.
First Steps When a Parent Has Dementia and No Power of Attorney
A parent with dementia and no power of attorney isn’t out of options: capacity at signing, not the diagnosis, decides your first move.
Your Executor Duties After Someone Dies, in Plain English
Executor duties don’t make you pay the deceased’s debts from your own pocket, but a few federal-tax mistakes can. Here’s where the line sits.
Your Parent Died Without a Will? Take the Right Steps in Order
Parent died without a will? One surprise: the $255 Social Security death payment usually skips adult children. Here is who qualifies.
