Wills are some of the most common estate planning documents. However, if your family cannot find the will after your loved one passes away, it can pose a real challenge. As we discussed in Part One of this series, Californians cannot file a will with a court before...
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Estate Planning
What you should know when choosing your executor
When you sit down to hammer out your estate plan, you have a lot of important decisions to make. In addition to where you want your assets to go, you also have to make healthcare decisions for yourself and try to foresee all possible eventualities. In the midst of all...
Why are funeral plans important?
Death is not an easy subject to think about – much less funerals. It is generally because these topics are so difficult to think about that many people put off other aspects of estate planning for so long. Funeral planning might not be your or your loved one’s...
Why a plan before college is critical
Many people see the age of 18 as an important milestone. After all, that is when you become an adult in the eyes of the law. However, it is easy to overlook the implications of this moment. Parents and children alike might celebrate this occasion, but the moment your...
3 reasons to have a health historian
In a previous blog post, we discussed how beneficial it is for individuals to have a health historian. This is not an official role, which leads many people to wonder: how can a health historian really help me? 1. Someone can represent you if you cannot speak for...
Unmarried couples: Can you make medical decisions?
According to the Pew Research Center, the rates of cohabitation between unmarried couples of all ages has increased. There are many reasons for this increase. Some couples choose to remain unmarried while many live together before getting married nowadays. Regardless...
Should you have a health historian?
It is an understatement to say that receiving a diagnosis for cancer, heart disease or a chronic condition is frightening. Such a diagnosis could change your entire life – as well as your family’s. As in the case of COVID-19, an illness or condition could also...
To make your wishes known, you must ask hard questions
Planning for the future – especially one’s future care – is important, but it can be a difficult task. You may know how important it is to establish an advance health care directive to ensure you have a say in your medical care, but this will require the courage to...
Who can access your health care information?
There are some things in life that you simply want to keep private. Your health and medical information are likely some of those things. Thankfully, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 ensures that you have the right to keep your...
Pre-planning a funeral can help avoid family disputes
At any point in your life, death is often the last thing you want to think about. Whether it is regarding a loved one’s plan or your own, it is a difficult and emotional subject to discuss. The anxiety that this subject causes is often one of the main reasons...