Here are a few documents that families will need, if parents are to remain involved in the medical and financial affairs of a child who has reached adulthood.

If you’re a father, there’s a good chance you help manage your household’s finances and you may even play the dominant role. This may work well now, but what if something were to happen to you? Would your family be financially okay?

Leaving a legacy — sounds like something only wealthy people can do, right? It can be something like making a giant bequest to a university or passing on a significant estate to your children.

Life brings us too many unique situations that would not be resolved by a will. Sometimes we need a more robust framework of documents. One of the all-stars in that framework is a power of attorney.

For some people with complicated personal and financial lives, today’s complexities may not be fully addressed with a do-it-yourself service for wills and trusts.

It’s important to have certain binding legal documents in place, if you become disabled due to an illness or accident. These aren’t easy things to talk about, but attorneys say every adult needs them.

Trusts are one of the most versatile items of the financial planning toolkit. However, they are not just for rich people. With the new higher estate tax exemptions, avoiding or reducing estate tax is not a concern for most of us.

Getting divorced is a complicated process, even for couples without any minor children. This is because it requires dividing up a partnership, so each individual can go his or her own way. While there are many details to iron out in terms of dividing assets, one thing that often gets overlooked, is how your estate plan will be affected.

After putting in several decades of hard work so you could retire comfortably, it’s finally time to pull the plug. As you begin to set your retirement dreams in motion, hold on. It’s not quite time to unwind just yet.

A few months ago, I was planning knee replacement surgery. While providing the required pre-surgical information, including current medications, health history and more, the medical staff asked a question I was unable to answer.