You Need to Do Some Planning

Question: My husband's getting up there but refuses to think about making arrangements. He doesn't even have a will. How can I convince him we need to see an estate planner?

Answer: This is right up my alley, as I've been doing this for 31 years. You don't necessarily need to see a planner, but if your husband wants your estate to pass 100% intact to your heirs, you both need to do some planning—soon. (Contact me for some free advice specific to your situation.)

If you have no titled assets, two wills suffice, but you’ll also surely need two of the following: living wills (indicating whether or not you want to be on life support), durable powers-of-attorney (designating someone to handle your financial affairs if you're incapable), and health care surrogates (designating someone to make health care decisions if you can't). A revocable living trust comes next if you have titled assets such as real estate or nonretirement titled brokerage or bank accounts.