Bergstrom Attorneys PLLC

08/14/2023

https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-documents-medical-financial-records-401fd359?mod=hp_featst_pos4

Parents need to make sure they have access to their kids’ financial and medical records.

07/17/2023

https://www.wsj.com/articles/have-heirlooms-you-want-to-pass-down-make-your-kids-download-this-app-93248016?mod=life_work_lead_pos3

Or do it yourself. These tools can help you and your loved ones catalog any belongings, along with the stories that make them special.

04/15/2021

From the Wall Street Journal: Various services off you the possibility of storing your documents and important information so your heirs will access to what they need to understand the estate you leave.“I could draft the most beautiful estate plan in the world, but if your heirs don’t know where the documents are and they don’t know they even exist, it’s useless.”

Online vaults can hold the location of your will, bank-account numbers, ongoing subscriptions, recipes—anything your heirs will find useful.

02/18/2021

Beware of do-it-yourself wills! Whether you seek your own estate plan, or if you're dealing with another person's estate, consult a lawyer to ensure a last will and testament is valid and free from undue influence.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56095825?fbclid=IwAR0sV7a5LojQQlsCZQq_b4DkwXv21ClwzkCcbXmMhhB_ODien-35IEptaCA

Shawn Southwick King claims the US TV legend was "of questionable mental capacity" when he signed.

12/20/2020

In her new documentary, "E-Ternal: A Tech Quest to ‘Live’ Forever," WSJ’s Joanna Stern travels across the world to examine how technology can be used to preserve our life stories when we die.

Join WSJ's personal tech columnist for a discussion about preserving our life stories and the new documentary “E-Ternal: A Tech Quest to 'Live' Forever"

03/11/2020

Do you have an advance medical directive to provide instructions on the medical treatment you wish to receive? This article provides important advice and reflects Bergstrom Attorneys' approach.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-usa-advance-directives-idUSKBN19W2NO?fbclid=IwAR3-TgKWO112RxZSMAK_vBqn4meio_rdjgOKNrqe9ZLcvzCzpXtEyBj1bB4

03/09/2020

How (and Whether) to Give Heirs Their Inheritance Before You Die, from the Wall Street Journal:

"... recent changes in the tax code make it easier to gift money to heirs before you pass on. In 2020, the “annual exclusion” is $15,000; in other words, you can give as much as $15,000 to as many individuals as you wish (and your spouse can, too) without triggering any gift taxes. What’s more, the lifetime exemption from gift and estate taxes increases to $11.58 million in 2020 from $11.4 million in 2019.

Still, it is worth pausing before you begin parceling out your estate. First, you need to make sure you won’t need any of that money to take care of yourself, keeping in mind the six-figure amounts that some retirees wind up spending on long-term care or simply on basic health-care expenses.

(A 65-year-old couple who retired in 2019, with a life expectancy of about 21 years for the husband and about 23 years for the wife, can expect to spend $285,000 in health care and medical expenses throughout retirement—not including the cost of long-term care, according to Fidelity Investments.) If you still expect to have money left over, you might want to consider something more meaningful than simply writing a check: funding family vacations, college tuition, medical bills, house down payments, or startup capital for a small business—contributions that could have a major impact on your children’s or grandchildren’s lives in your lifetime. We spoke with a couple in Texas who, after retiring, bought a travel trailer with part of their savings. They used their home on wheels to introduce their five grandchildren to swaths of the country, including New York, the Grand Canyon and California—on monthlong trips. I can only imagine the memories that the grandparents and the grandchildren all have.

The grandmother put it this way: “I think you need to share your money as you go, not just stick it all in the bank and not ever use it.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-retiree-choice-give-some-of-it-away-early-11582647993?mod=hp_listb_pos3

Ask Encore: Retirement columnist Glenn Ruffenach also discusses Social Security benefits for divorcees.

02/27/2020

https://www.wsj.com/articles/create-an-estate-plan-so-your-kids-dont-inherit-a-headache-11582812341?mod=hp_listc_pos2

Knowing what will happen to a piece of property before its owner becomes ill or dies can help families avoid relationship rifts and lengthy litigation.

02/27/2020

https://www.wsj.com/articles/create-an-estate-plan-so-your-kids-dont-inherit-a-headache-11582812341?mod=hp_listc_pos2

02/19/2019

Contact Bergstrom Attorneys to discuss your concerns with pre-marital agreements.

"Young people today have more expectations for what they want in a partner," said Vicki Larson, co-author of "The New I Do."