Posts made in June, 2006

Estate planning- a thing every dad must do

Posted by Dad on Jun 28, 2006 in The Blog | 24 comments

I’m back home from a business trip to London. I decided to work from home and catch up with the family and things I needed to get done. This included catching up with Dad Daily and reading the dad blogs I subscribe to.

As I read all the heartfelt posts made by caring fathers I began to wonder if they’ve taken proactive steps to deal with the risk that they may not be there tomorrow. Yes, it’s a terribly morbid thought. I’m an estate planning attorney and it’s my job to think about that so please forgive me. It’s a hard fact that few of us take the time to deal with. However, it is incredibly important.

I can’t tell you how many times it falls to me, an attorney, to deal with the mess when a spouse dies unexpectedly. Most of the time, the spouse has made no plans. The surviving spouse and kids are left alone to deal with the chaos that follows. Don’t do this to your family. Carve some time out this weekend and get a plan started. Here’s some key points:

  1. If you have minor kids, who would be the guardian if you and your wife passed away tomorrow?
  2. Who would handle the post-mortem affairs if your wife were unable to?
  3. You need a Will. It is best (read, safest) to get one from a lawyer. However, a Office Depot kit is better than nothing. There’s a good site called Legal Zoom that says it can provide you with a Will for your state.
  4. You need a Living Will and a Healthcare Proxy. Remember Terry Schiavo? Don’t let that be you. These are the “pull the plug” documents. They take the decision out of the hands of your family and into your hands where they should be. PLEASE do this for your family.
  5. You MAY need a living trust. If you are in the US and have a net worth over $2 million, then you probably do need a trust. An estate planning attorney is in the best position to tell you whether or not you need one. However, I think Legal Zoom can help.
  6. If you go to an attorney, you will probably pay something in the neighborhood of $2,500 to do a good estate plan for you and your wife. Certainly, it can be less or much more. It depends on your particular case.

I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have to make the process easier. Just make a decision to get it done and over with.

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A note from London

Posted by Dad on Jun 26, 2006 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

I’m writing this from my hotel room in London.  I’m here on a business trip.

I’ve watched two World Cup matches so I’m thankful for that.  However, the rest of British TV is a mystery to me.  Amazing how different somethings are over here.

I’m very much looking forward to going home.

 

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Dad Daily Bookmarklet

Posted by Dad on Jun 11, 2006 in The Blog | 0 comments

Here’s a way to get a toolbar setting that will allow you to submit the page you are surfing to the Dad Daily.

  1. Go to the ‘View’->’Toolbars’ menu and make sure the ‘Bookmarks Toolbar’ is ticked
  2. Right click the link below, and choose ‘Bookmark this link’.
  3. Click the down arrow to see a complete list of folders, choose the ‘Bookmarks Toolbar Folder’ and click ‘OK’

Right-click on this link: Dad Daily Bookmarklet

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