5 Great Thanksgiving Tweets

Here's a fun and relevant way to get the Thanksgiving holiday underway. Check out these 5 great tweets about Thanksgiving and the holidays in general.

1. @alphaconsumer: 10 Money Smart Ways to Give Thanks This Season http://bit.ly/gosogl

2. @washingtonpost: This is what happens when our readers get creative with Photoshop and pictures of a pardoned turkey: http://wapo.st/iaFXSa

3. @SmartSpending The Black Friday survival checklist. (Staying home isn't on there.) http://cot.ag/h2mw0O ^KD

4. @CenturaHealth: 2morrow is Thxgiving! Take a Halftime for your Heart & start a new tradition –an after dinner walk for #StrongColoHearts: http://ow.ly/3dCDH

5. @fpassociation: The Best Holiday Card Ever… an Ethical Will: http://wp.me/pDBFz-nf

From all of us at Executor's Resource, Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving Legacy for the Holidays

5 ideas for sharing a bit of you


1. Trace your family tree and give copies to your family members.

2. Create a family cook book of favorite recipes.

3. Get out old family photos and design a coffee table style picture book. Identify who is in each picture and provide captions and descriptions.

4. Write a short letter to your loved ones about why they make your life special.

5. Give a new, blank journal to each family member for use in 2011.

Do you have other ideas for capturing and sharing your legacy? Let us know by commenting here.

Today's Caregiver - Tomorrow's CEO of the Afterlife

Caring for an aging parent is emotional, time intensive, and uncertain. You want to make choices that best align with your parent’s wishes while keeping peace in the family. Often times, that means providing your parent’s important information at a moment’s notice.

Adult children who are caregivers today are likely to be executors in the future. Unfortunately, some accept the role without even understanding what the word "executor" means. When someone dies, an executor (personal representative in some states) is identified either through a will or court appointment. As “CEO of the afterlife”, it is the executor’s responsibility to manage virtually all aspects of the estate settlement process.

Duties of an executor or personal representative typically include:

• Security and care of the family, including attending to immediate financial needs
• Assistance in funeral and/or cremation arrangements and organ donation, if applicable
• Interpreting the will and trust agreements, or presiding intestate laws
• Identifying, collecting and protecting your loved one's assets
• Determining which assets must be probated, and which can be transferred directly to the named beneficiaries
• Managing any existing real estate, businesses (e.g., physical or online), and investments until the estate is settled
• Notifying your loved one's creditors and settling their claims
• Filing all applicable federal and state tax returns, both for the estate and your loved one
• Paying your loved one's taxes and other expenses
• Distributing the remaining assets to beneficiaries according to the terms of the will, or state law (if intestate), or trust agreements.
• Providing a complete and accurate accounting of all financial transactions

Serving as an executor is often a daunting and time-consuming task, even for sophisticated individuals. This is especially true when the estate is spread across different states, and beneficiaries are scattered across the country.

Now for the good news. As a caregiver, you may already have a lot of your parent’s important information. At Executor's Resource, we designed EstateLogic® to be the caregiver’s tool to manage today’s information and tomorrow’s transition. We invite you to let EstateLogic be your guide in:

• Making important information more accessible
• Capturing the right information

Caregivers and their loved ones use EstateLogic collaboratively to gather and store financial, legal and personal information all in one safe, secure online location. Whether you live next door or across the country, you’ll have access whenever you need it, making your role as caregiver today and executor tomorrow easier. We stand ready to help.

We'd like to hear from you. Are you a caregiver today who will be a future executor? Are you a current executor who previously served as caregiver? Share your story with us here.

It's National Estate Planning Awareness Week

In September of 2008, HR1499 was adopted, setting aside the third week in October of each year as National Estate Planning Awareness Week.

While it seems logical that we should want to get our ducks in order to protect our family and loved ones, all of us have a different reaction when it comes to talking about “The Big Inevitable”. Here are 8 reasons why people put off the conversation:

#1. Talking about death is unsettling.
Of course it is, but you can actually get peace of mind today by planning ahead. We recently wrote about what separates good estate plans from those that are great.

#2. The kids just want my money!
Maybe, or maybe not. Did you know that who you are beyond your finances -- your legacy -- the ethics, personal history, life advice and important stories -- is also an important component of your estate? Try approaching the conversation with your adult children from the non-financial or administrative side. Our quiz for future executors can help.

#3. Shh! Money talk is supposed to be secret
Your information is power. Without access to it, your executor -- typically the family member who'll have to settle your estate -- will have to reconstruct all of the details of your life. Why not make it easier for them? Knowing what you have, where associated paperwork is located and who to contact is essential. While you're at it, why not provide this person an overview of the responsibilities they'll have when the time comes? Our posting on an executor's responsibilities can help.

#4.  Estate planning is for “rich” people
Do you own a vehicle? How about life insurance? Do you have a bank account? Congratulations -- you've got an estate!

#5. It's too hard because my family isn't "normal"
Dysfunctional may very well be the new normal. Don't let complex family situations intimidate you. In fact, planning done right today can help your family steer clear of troubled waters in the future. If you work with a financial advisor, ask him or her for help. Here are 10 questions to get you started.

#6 It’s 9 p.m. – do you know where your assets are?
Do you remember the old phrase “It’s 9 p.m. – do you know where your kids are?” This is a twist on that – only to say that some feel overwhelmed by trying to identify all of their assets, liabilities, personal items of importance and even digital assets (e.g., email accounts, social media accounts, personal photo websites). Try our easy-to-use checklist and set your own pace.

#7 I don’t know what I’m doing – I’m afraid I’ll make a mistake

This reason tends to be the common source of paralysis in moving forward. Fortunately, there is a wide variety of resources and experts available to provide the help you need. You can start by reviewing our tips on how to find an estate attorney.
 
#8 Queen of “denial”
There of those of us who just can’t believe that one day, our time will be up. If this is you, may we recommend that you make some incremental progress by starting with the legacy aspects of your estate? Collect your favorite personal stories, assemble old photos or family videos, inventory the personal items that are important to you today. We're betting you'll warm up to wanting to protect these mementos by ensuring they stay within your family.


So come on, join the conversation. Do you feel confident that you have things squared away? If not, why not? Tell us your reasons for putting off your planning for The Big Inevitable.

5 Great Estate Planning Tweets

Do you follow @EstateLogic on Twitter? If you don't, you may be missing out.  Twitter is a great way to be in the know on current information when it comes to estate and legacy related topics. Here are 5 estate planning Tweets we think are worthy of further mention.

1. @RitaAtNCLife -- 6 Common needs for Life Insurance  -- Do you have people who depend on you? – http://ow.ly/2wXWX

2. @EstateLogic -- 70% of widows leave their financial advisors after their husbands' death. Advisors, gr8 article: http://bit.ly/dtKf2b

3. @EstateLogic -- Know what your worth and who owns what: http://bit.ly/c2vqOO
4. @BlackLewisLaw -- Why #Estate #Planning Is Important For Women http://ht.ly/2IkHH

5. @feeonlyindy -- Testing Software to Write Wills on the Home Computer - http://nyti.ms/95yAen

Are You Prepared? A Quiz for Future Executors

By Executor's Resource, Inc.

Have you been an executor?  If you haven't, chances are you will be.

The majority of Americans typically choose a close family member or friend for the role.  Most of us accept without thinking about what it really means. Will you be up for the job when the time comes? Take this quick quiz to find out:

1. As the future executor for your loved one, do you know where to find the following:

      a. Final instructions (i.e., funeral arrangements and preferences)
      b. Will or trust agreement, and other legal documents (e.g., powers of attorney)
      c. A key to residence(s) and the passcode to the home alarm system
      d. Insurance policies, banking accounts and other assets and liabilities
      e. A listing of digital assets - passwords for computers and online accounts
      f. Valuables and collectibles
      g. Family photo albums and other important personal and heritage information
      h. Safe deposit box key(s)
      i. Contact information for the estate attorney who drafted the will
      j. Contact information for other professionals (e.g., financial advisor, insurance agents)

2. Are you aware of any hidden items of importance in the home or elsewhere?

3. Do you talk with your loved one about this information at least once a year or when there are updates?

If you answered yes to many of the questions, serving as executor, personal representative or trustee should be easier for you. If you marked "no" more times than "yes", it's time for you to have the talk with your loved one. We'll address how you go about doing that in our next posting.

In the interim, tells us how you fared on this quiz by submitting a comment.

Top 5 Estate Planning Tweets for June 2010

By Executor's Resource, Inc.

In case you missed the action in June, here’s a listing of the Top 5 Estate Planning tweets (from our perspective) for June 2010:

1. @Jack65203 Banks are offering comprehensive care to their clients as a way to deepen ties with their clients. Via @wsj http://ht.ly/2452s #estate planning

2. @EstateLogic From good to great: your #estate #plan. http://bit.ly/azpqpO

3. @BlackLewisLaw 5 #Property Types that Cannot Be Left in a #Will http://ht.ly/22LPo #estateplanning #estate #planning

4. @trustlawgroup RT @lichtermanlaw Cost of raising a child: $475,680 - this is why life insurance and proper estate planning is critical http://ow.ly/1WqGg

5. @FAmagazine Financial Advisors Spending More Time On Clients' Kids: Advisors are dedicating more time to the spending and savi... http://bit.ly/cszh5N