Life insurance can play a few key roles in an estate plan, depending on your age and situation in life. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued new guidance on whether families can visit loved ones in nursing homes. The guidance allows indoor visitation even when the resident has not been vaccinated. 

For most people, the durable power of attorney is the most important estate planning instrument available — even more useful than a will. 

President Biden has signed the latest COVID-19 relief bill, which in addition to authorizing stimulus checks, funding vaccine distribution, and extending unemployment benefits, also provides assistance to seniors in a number of ways. 

If you want to make a gift to family members but have exceeded the annual gifting limit, there is another way. Payments for a family member’s education or health care expenses are exempt from the gift tax. 

All trusts should be reviewed every few years to make sure that they are up-to-date with the law and meet your current goals. Here is a checklist of trust features you can review yourself.

Netflix’s popular new movie, “I Care a Lot,” may be far-fetched in a lot of ways, but it does highlight some real weaknesses in the guardianship system. Fortunately, steps can be taken to avoid the kind of nightmare the film portrays. 

As the second (and maybe third) round of stimulus checks go out, it is important to know that nursing home residents are not required to turn their checks over to their nursing home. 

While a will is one of the most important estate planning documents you can have, there are things that it won’t cover. A will is just one part of a comprehensive estate plan.