- Estate Planning Blog -

how to fund a living trust
What Does it Mean to Fund a Living Trust?

  Have you recently created a living trust? That’s fantastic! Trusts are wonderful tools for protecting estate assets like bank accounts, money market accounts, properties, businesses, cars, boats, and more. Another big benefit of living trusts is that they keep your estate out of probate court....

putting a bank account in a trust
Naming a Trust as Beneficiary of a Bank Account

  When creating a revocable living trust, you must fund it in order for it to serve you. An unfunded trust can not hold the title to an estate. Naming a trust as beneficiary of a bank account can help you accomplish this. Any assets you...

estate planning for young families, what documents should a young person have in their estate plan?
Estate Planning for Young Families in Arizona

  Julie, an estate planner, recently went out for dinner with her friend Jordan. While they were eating, Jordan mentioned a show she had seen about the luxurious expanse of Drake’s mansion. “His estate is huge!” she remarked, which turned the conversation toward the word “estate.”...

do you need a trust if you have beneficiaries
Do I Need a Trust if My Accounts Have Named Beneficiaries?

  The primary goal of any estate plan is to guarantee that your assets are distributed to your beneficiaries according to your wishes. However, achieving that goal isn’t always a straight-forward process. Working with an experienced estate planning attorney will give you greater peace of mind,...

swimming holes in Phoenix
The Health Benefits of Swimming

  At Phelps LaClair, we encourage our clients to plan for the future, including the unknowns in life. Staying active and exercising regularly helps keep your heart healthy. We often enjoy swimming as a way to improve our health! Swimming offers many benefits, from reducing your...

how to begin estate planning
Questions to Ask When Planning Your Estate Early

  If you find yourself wondering how to begin estate planning, or if early estate planning makes sense, you are on the right track! Covering the details about what will happen to you or your loved ones if an accident occurs is a necessary step in...

when to start estate planning
Estate Planning in Your 20s

  Wondering when to start estate planning? It’s a question that pops up from time to time, but in young adult life it can seem unimportant. Many young people consider estate planning the type of task that can gets pushed off for another time...

divorce after retirement
Divorce After Retirement: Gray Divorce 2021

  Divorce rates have recently been on the decline—that is, among young people. Couples over the age of 50 have been divorcing at much higher rates over the past twenty years. Between 1990 and 2010, this age group doubled their divorce rate. In 2010 alone, 1...

what happens when your partner dies?
Death Benefits for Unmarried Couples

  Are you wondering what happens when your partner dies? How will the surviving loved one be cared for? Death benefits for unmarried couples only exist if you create them. You can decide where your assets go—whether you give them to friends, family, charities, or a...

what is the difference between an estate planner and a financial planner, estate planner vs financial planner
Is a Financial Plan the Same as an Estate Plan?

  Having a solid financial plan that takes care of your family’s needs every year feels great! It feels comfortable. And that comfort can sometimes allow us to neglect our future financial plans, such as saving for retirement and creating a concrete estate plan. Are you...

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