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.

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.

Planning to hand off significant assets, especially a business, to the next generation is a financial decision. However, it is one that also requires the careful handling of a family’s internal dynamics.

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.

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

The Last Will and Testament plays an essential role in estate planning and without question everybody should have one.

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?