One reason for having a will is to make sure your wishes are carried out. If you die “intestate” (without a will), your assets will be distributed by state law, not by your desires.
Since you began working, Social Security has recorded your reported earnings under your name and Social Security number. Social Security updates your record each time your employer (or you, if you’re self-employed) report your earnings. Your earnings determine your benefit amount.
Have you thought about how you’d like your family to continue after you’re gone? Having an estate plan isn’t just for the ultra-wealthy.
At some point in your life, there’s a good chance you’ll be tasked with acting as the executor of an estate. The designation is both an honor and an obligation.
Unless you spend your winters in Aspen and your summers in the Hamptons, you probably don’t have to worry about paying federal estate taxes on an inheritance. In 2021, the federal estate tax doesn’t kick in unless an estate exceeds $11.7 million.
About 1.5 million Americans become widows and widowers in a normal year, but the pandemic has boosted that significantly. The National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University estimates that about 380,000 of more than 700,000 people in the U.S. who have died from Covid were married.
While we are alive, we can clearly make our own decisions. Unfortunately, one day you may find yourself in a situation where you cannot make your own decisions. Such situations occur most often in accidents, illnesses (physical or mental) and simple aging situations.
Major changes in your life—such as marriage, having a baby, moving out of state, or divorce—should prompt a revisit to your current will. It is important to revise your will at these times, in order to ensure that your estate planning is up to date.
As parents of children with special needs age, they should revisit the decisions they made—sometimes many years ago—regarding guardianship, beneficiarie, and other aspects of their child’s care.
A large 5.9% cost-of-living adjustment is coming to Social Security beneficiaries in 2022. That means the average monthly retirement benefit will go up by $92 per month. Exactly how much more money you will see may depend on the amount of Medicare Part B premiums.
