Resources

According to a 2019 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 7 percent of surveyed adults were living with an unmarried partner, up from 3 percent in 1995.[1] More people are entering long-term, committed relationships without getting married. Unfortunately, state and federal laws do not protect unmarried couples as they do married couples when it comes to inheritance, taxes, and decision-making powers. Therefore, it is important that you engage in comprehensive financial and estate planning, …

Though many people are familiar with life insurance policies and have a general understanding of how they work, the process of selling a life insurance policy to a third party may be less commonly understood. When an insured party sells a life insurance policy to a third party investor, the transaction is called a life settlement.   How Life Settlements Work  Though the idea is counterintuitive to many people, life insurance policies are considered property and therefore can be bought …

A critical question to ask yourself when creating an estate plan is who will get your assets when you pass on? While most people think about who they would like to receive the major items—homes, retirement accounts, savings—personal property such as jewelry, clothing, sports equipment, vehicles, and other possessions are often overlooked. The truth is that while some mementos and sentimental items may be very valuable to you, the people that you want to give …

Conversations about death and dying are never fun. Most people avoid them because they invoke feelings about our inevitable demise. Broaching this subject can be particularly difficult for parents and their adult children. Adult children may avoid bringing up the topic because they do not want to think about their parents’ mortality, and they may also want to avoid sounding as though they are waiting for their parents to die. Despite these valid challenges to …

The death of a loved one can be one of the most disorienting life events. But if the loved one dies while traveling in a foreign country, the emotional and bureaucratic burdens can multiply exponentially. Contact the United States Bureau of Consular Affairs If foreign local authorities report a death to a US embassy or consulate, the United States Bureau of Consular Affairs located in that country will attempt to identify and contact the next …