It is frequently the case for couples that one spouse handles all the financial matters and the other spouse has at best a vague idea of how bills get paid, how to access financial accounts, how and for what reasons money transfers between accounts, etc. If the spouse who manages the family finances is the first to die, it often takes an adult child or outsider to come in and make sense of the family finances. Where the finances are structured rationally, deciphering how ever

Over the past 20 years, as the number of Vermonters impacted by estate taxes has diminished, there has been a growing emphasis on protecting what you own, both to preserve a comfortable retirement and to pass something down to the next generation. Methods to protect your assets can be simple or complex. It’s the complex methods that people think of when hearing the term “asset protection,” such as overseas accounts in Switzerland or the Cayman Islands. But most of us don’t ha

A recent NEET Notes article on decluttering your home has come up often in meetings over the past several months. There appears to be...

One of the most common assets in estate planning can also be one of the most problematic. Vehicles are often overlooked or ignored in...

It was just one year ago, in the lead-up to the November election, that Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) re-introduced the...

Much has been written about the mountains of cash and valuable assets that will be transferred from Baby Boomers to their children. The...

It’s usually better for your children or others to inherit your investment assets than to receive them as a gift during your lifetime....

On June 17, 2024, the Boston Celtics cruised past the Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA Finals. Two weeks later, the family holding a...

The elderly are the most targeted and the most victimized by financial exploitation, according to the FBI. The agency’s Elder Fraud...

With tax season behind us, now is a good time to update old habits regarding what paperwork should be kept and what can be discarded....

A decade ago it was reported by Fidelity Investments that 53% of grandparents were saving or planning to save in order to help their...

Higher interest rates can be a mixed bag. On the one hand, savings accounts, certificates of deposit and bonds will pay you more for your...

Few things in life are certain. Of course, there’s death and taxes. In addition, if you have not already noticed, there is the inevitable...

For those who qualify, putting money into a Health Savings Account (HSA) is one of the smartest things to do with discretionary income....

The Vermont Legislature recently passed, and Gov. Phil Scott in early June signed into law, the Vermont Uniform Power of Attorney Act....

Lifetime gifts can have many benefits in the estate planning context, and a few drawbacks. Benefits include that the donor is shrinking...

In late 2019, Congress made major changes to qualified retirement accounts (IRAs, 401(k)s and the like) when it passed the Setting Every...

At 1:00 am on Monday, March 6, 1933, President Roosevelt, who had taken his first oath of office a mere 36 hours earlier, declared a bank...

The end of the year is approaching, which means it is time to brace yourself for the deluge of charitable solicitations arriving via...

Estate planning is mostly about the big picture issues of who fulfills the important fiduciary role of executor, who will be the guardian...