A total of 143 million American consumers’ personal information was stolen through the Equifax data breach. Hackers infiltrated data systems that included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and credit card numbers. It is important to act now. Here are some suggestions and steps to help protect your family and yourself from financial scams and the ...Read More ...
Estate Planning
Estate Planning after a Divorce
Finalizing your divorce should not end when you get your divorce decree. It is likely that major changes need to be made to your estate plan after you finalize a divorce. Working with an attorney to update your estate plan should always be the next step. After a divorce, ownership and beneficiary designations should be reviewed. Some divorce decrees will require you to keep your ex-spouse as a ...Read More ...
Standby Guardians
Whether a parent is making an estate plan, preparing for international travel, or facing a deportation, parents should address the issue of who will care for their children if they become incapacitated or pass away. Indiana law allows the parent of a minor child to appoint a standby guardian to serve as guardian of their minor child in the event of the parent’s death or incapacitation. A standby ...Read More ...
Planning for Control and Protection of your Digital Assets
A critical part of any estate planning process is identifying your assets. Typically, this process starts by listing real estate, accounts, vehicles, business interests, and a wide variety of other items to be considered upon death. It is important not to overlook the identification of key digital assets when preparing your estate plan. Our “online footprints” are expanding rapidly. The ...Read More ...
Using a Life Estate in Estate Planning
Estate planning provides many diverse options to individuals. One such option is the use of a life estate. A life estate creates the right for an individual to occupy and use property during their lifetime, or the lifetime of another (known as a life estate autrie vie), while being owned by a different individual. The person who has the right to occupy and use the property is called the life ...Read More ...
ABLE Act
Indiana's legislature is currently considering how it will implement the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2013, more commonly known as the ABLE Act. Families of those with developmental disabilities are familiar with the conundrum of contributing to a loved one's financial security without disqualifying that person from Medicaid and/or SSI by exceeding resource limits. The ABLE Act was ...Read More ...