Since creating your estate plan, have you thought about updating it? If you are like most people, probably not. The temptation to check off the “estate plan” box from the adult to-do list and never look back is a strong one. However, that carefully thought-out plan you created years ago may not meet your current […]
Studies consistently find that only about 25–35 percent of Americans have an estate plan, a shockingly low rate when you consider that, in the absence of a plan, the state—not you or your family—decides what happens to your assets, including your business interests. The overall business succession planning rate is higher, with about two-thirds of business […]
People often set up bank accounts or real estate so that they own them jointly with a spouse or other family member. The appeal of joint ownership, specifically with survivorship rights, is that when one owner dies, the other owner(s) will automatically inherit the property without it having to go through probate. Also, joint property […]
Many Americans dream of leaving their nine-to-five job to start their own business—and in recent years, more people than ever have been doing it. A record number of new business applications were filed in 2023, marking the third consecutive year of historic small business growth and adding to the economic engine that drives the US […]
