inheritance

When most of us buy life insurance, we're thinking about one thing: Making sure our families are taken care of after we're gone. But in this season of giving, you might also want to think about setting up a policy to take care of your favorite charity.

An estimated two-thirds of baby boomer households will receive an inheritance at some point, with a median amount of $64,000, according to an AARP study. I recently received an email from a reader who has fallen deeply into debt in anticipation of her legacy -- and is now worried that her bailout may not be at hand.

Despite the tumultuous life Amy Winehouse led in her 27 years, she managed to stabilize matters after her death with an ironclad will, according to reports. Let this be a lesson to both the famous and the obscure: A will is a good idea at any adult age.

At least $1 trillion will move from one generation to the next by 2025, and when assets change owners, advisers usually fall by the wayside. But certain parts of the financial services industry are finally adapting they way they communicate with these wealthy, younger potential clients.

All parents aim to bestow their wisdom on their children -- but if your dad is an investment guru, you might want to listen extra carefully. In this Father's Day special report, DailyFinance asked the adult children of these icons about what they had learned about money and life from their dads.

You might expect that with a father like Warren Buffett, the road through life would be paved with gold -- and advice about how to make a mint. Not so, says Peter Buffett, who says the biggest gift the billionaire gave to his offspring was his philosophy of integrity and authenticity to your true self.

You love your dad, but you don't have to buy everything he taught you about money. DailyFinance celebrates Father's Day by debunking six financial myths he might have held held true. He still deserves the socks and the cologne. Just don't necessarily trust him with your portfolio.

Nothing is certain but death and taxes, and where those two intersect -- wills -- there's supposed to be some certainty as well. Wills should be final. But unsurprisingly, sometimes heirs don't see them that way. 24/7 Wall Street lines up the 10 nastiest, most interesting family feuds over mega millions -- and, in one case, a frozen head.

If you don't have a will, chances are you've never been in a situation where someone near to you passed without one. You'd understand the nightmare that probate court can be when divvying up an estate without a will; it gets parsed according to state law, with no stipulation for loyal friends or...

Infighting among heirs is on the rise, thanks to the weak economy, the increase in blended families and a host of other factors. Probably the biggest is simply poor planning. Life is complicated enough, so don't bequeath a battle to your family. Here's some straight talk about a touchy topic.