Category Archives: Families, Money, and Drama

How Do I Name Guardians for My Kids?

Making a decision about who would raise your children if something happened to you can be puzzling and even dramatic—especially for a married couple trying to agree on potential guardians. Rest assured, you know your children better than anyone and you’re uniquely qualified to make the decision in a way no one else is—not even a judge. So before you throw your arms up with an “I have no idea who to pick!” here’s a method to come to a decision that you can live with. REMEMBER: guardian nominations can be changed and should be changed over time as your children grow and their needs change. Don’t be afraid to make a decision and then change it later. That’s the natural progression of childhood in operation.

Does this kid looks like he needs a special kind of guardian? Oh yeah.

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Protecting Your Child’s Identity

The holidays are upon us, and unfortunately, so are the opportunities for being victims of fraud.

Most of us are savvy enough to know we should shred our credit card bills and anything else with identifying information on it.

But have you thought about protecting your child’s identity?

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The Tax That Just Won’t Die

With all the talk about the future of the Bush tax cuts, one aspect of taxation that isn’t getting quite as much press is the reappearance of the estate tax.

As of January 1, 2011, the estate tax will once again rear its ugly head and take a serious bite out of your estate assets when it does.

If your estate is valued at $1 million or more (for individuals, not married couples), your loved ones could be hit with a tax bill of 55%.

Here’s a quick and dirty list of things to seriously think about before January 1st:

1. Don’t Count On Congress.

The issue of the estate tax may not be resolved any time soon. The Bush tax-cut extension is such a hot button issue and is generating so much press, no one is sure what will result from it. An increase of the estate tax exemption to $5 million is included in the Obama tax plan, but the House and Senate would both have to agree to it for that to become law. The end of the year is only about 3 weeks away and there’s still a lot of squabbling on Capitol Hill about this issue.

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My Legal Planning Story: Becoming the Parent I Want to Be

When we had our first son, my ex-husband and I were vaguely aware that we should name a guardian for our baby if something happened to us. But in the weeks and months following his birth, I was too busy learning to be a mother to worry about a legal document. At the time, too, my son and I were attached…at the breast. There was no way he was going to be out of my sight for any length of time, I reasoned, and if something happened to me, it would happen to him too and, well, we’d both be gone.

It wasn’t until our son was nearing three years old and in pre-school a couple of hours a week, and a new baby was in my arms, that I felt a more pressing need to make sure he was cared for if I weren’t there. At the time, my ex-husband began to feel worried

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