Estate planning is a critical part of financial planning, but something many Americans procrastinate about. Drafting a will and a health care proxy or power of attorney, maybe creating a trust, and maximizing your loved ones’ inheritances by minimizing taxes are all important matters you don’t want to leave to chance.

Humans are great at avoidance. We don’t want to experience pain, be faced with unpleasant facts or deal with anything we consider to be too far in the future.

Parents’ instincts to protect their children can cause them to hold back on some important truth-telling about the kind of inheritance they might expect, but that could be a big mistake.

While it’s common advice that retirees should avoid borrowing if possible, situations could arise when it will be necessary. Where to turn?

Credit cards, a car loan, a mortgage—whatever debt you’re carrying around, doesn’t just disappear when you die.

Estate planning for a child with special needs can be challenging.

You probably know about potential IRA tax traps related to withdrawals, rollovers, and estate planning that can saddle you with penalties and surprise tax bills. Did you know that the type of investments you hold could also hand you a surprise tax bill and potentially ruin your IRA status?