When you sign a general power of attorney, you authorize someone to manage financial matters on your behalf in the event that you are unable to do so yourself. That’s a lot of responsibility to sign over to someone. You need to pick someone who is trustworthy, someone who will act in your best interests. [Read More]
Our society has assigned value to marking the passage of time in a particular relationship. Collectively, we recognize that the commitment it takes to maintain a relationship is a significant investment of time and energy, effort and resources. So, we honor those persons or entities who have reached a milestone – usually a multiple of 5 – in terms of years spent on a relationship, whether personal or professional. [Read More]
The person whom Northwest Iowa trust and estates attorneys have long referred to as the “executor” when managing your estate also has an alternative name. Known as the “personal representative”, this person is appointed by either the person doing the estate planning or by the courts when there was no one named in a will. The personal representative has a very big job of finishing up the decedent’s business, such as taking care of taxes and keeping the bills paid; not to mention the much more commonly recognized job of making sure the decedent’s wishes are followed when it comes to distributing assets. [Read More]
GenX-ers are no longer angst-ridden youth trying to figure out where they fit in this world. Instead, they’re adults with real jobs, real retirement plans, life insurance and real health problems. And they’re people who need to do their estate planning. [Read More]
It’s not often that an estate planner is the hero of any story, and estate planning is second only to tax law as the least exciting subject for story telling. But I think maybe that’s what makes “Map of My Kingdom” so impressive. Writer Mary Swander, Actress Cora Vander Broek-Brumlow, and director Matt Foss take an otherwise boring topic and make you love each hero and hate each villain. [Read More]
Every family has its own approach when it comes to talking about financial and legal information. However, families who are at the estate planning phase should be having at least some superficial conversations about these topics, as there is significant information which needs to be shared just to make the estate plan work smoothly. [Read More]
Choosing children as heirs to your inheritance makes sense. After all, most people want their life’s hard work to go toward the betterment of their children’s lives. Due to age differences, children will usually outlive their parents, as well. But, what happens when you outlive an heir? What becomes of the inheritance you wanted to be passed on to him or her?[Read More]
Why should a single person work with a will and trust attorney in Northwest Iowa? The answer is simple: if you don’t plan, then if you have a medical emergency or pass away, the state will step in and impose its own plan on your body and your assets. [Read More]
Obviously the choice of a guardian for minor children can be an emotional one. Your children are precious, and your options are limited. But not deciding ahead of time could result in a judge—who doesn’t know you or your kids—choosing the guardian for you. [Read More]
