Estate Planning
Certification of Trust: What It Is and When You Need It
A certification of trust is a document that summarizes selected facts about an existing trust and the authority of its trustee. It can help…
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Financial Planning
Guidance on financial goals, debt management, protection, retirement, and building a secure financial future.
Financial Planning
Inflation Adjusted Annuity: How It Works, Costs and Trade-Offs
Plan for income that must last—and prices that keep changing. An inflation adjusted annuity is an insurance contract or payment option designed to increase…
Estate Planning
Testate vs Intestate: What Happens With and Without a Will?
The difference between testate vs intestate is whether someone dies with a valid will. A person who leaves a valid will dies testate. Someone…
Estate Planning
How to Put a House in a Trust: Steps, Costs and Mortgage Considerations
Learning how to put a house in a trust starts with two separate tasks: creating an appropriate trust and completing the legal transfer of…
Financial Planning
Trust Protector: Role, Powers and When You Might Need One
Clear powers. Defined responsibilities. A trust built for change. A trust protector is a person or organization given specific authority over a trust, such…
Financial Planning
Mortgage Curtailment: How Extra Principal Payments Work
Reduce the balance. Understand what changes—and what stays due. Mortgage curtailment means reducing your mortgage's unpaid principal with an additional payment. It can be…
Financial Planning
Probate Bond: Requirements, Costs and Waivers
A probate bond is a financial guarantee that helps protect an estate’s heirs and creditors if its court-appointed representative fails to carry out required…
Financial Planning
Escrow Shortage: Why It Happens and What You Can Do
An escrow shortage means your mortgage escrow balance falls below the target calculated during an escrow analysis. It can happen even when you pay…
Estate Planning
Joint Accounts After Death: 5 Steps for Surviving Owners
Joint accounts after death often pass to the surviving owner, but that outcome is not automatic for every account. In the United States, the…
Estate Planning
What Is a Living Trust and How Does It Work? 5 Simple Steps
What is a living trust and how does it work? A living trust is a legal arrangement created during your lifetime in which a…
Financial Planning
What Is Credit Mix and How Does It Affect Your Credit Score
Credit mix is the variety of credit accounts shown on your credit reports, such as credit cards, auto loans, student loans and mortgages. Credit-scoring…
Estate Planning
What Is Ancillary Probate? When a Second Estate Case Is Required
Ancillary probate is a secondary estate proceeding opened in a state other than the state handling the deceased person’s primary probate. It is most…