wills

Americans display a fairly significant disconnect between our ideals and our actions when it comes to preparing for our deaths: While 60% of us believe all adults should have estate plans, only 44% have one. But it's more than just fear of thinking about our mortality that's stalling many of us.

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...

Neglecting estate planning is a grave error. If you don't plan your exit strategy before you die, it is likely that a lot more of your money and your property will go to Uncle Sam and the state tax man than your loved ones would have had to pay if you had been savvy about estate planning.

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.

Talking to your parents about growing old and their plans for the future is hard to do. After all, they still remember changing your diapers. What could you possibly know that they don't? Talking about their money is even harder -- worse than talking about sex. And you remember that awkward...

This isn't an ugly mother-in-law story. Actually, I loved my mother-in-law, and her death at 85 was painful -- far more painful than it really needed to be because she hated to talk about what she considered her personal affairs -- especially when it involved money. And the rest of us didn't want...

More than 60 Washington seniors who paid for living trusts will receive refunds under a settlement reached between the Washington Attorney General's Office and The Preservation Group. The atty. gen.'s office accused the Arizona-based company and its owners, Kevin D. Boterman and Robert J....

When it comes to retirement living, take your cue from the Boy Scout handbook. Be prepared, and you could truly enjoy your golden years; don't prepare, and you're headed for the dark side of retirement living. It's a choice that 58 million people will be facing by next year, when 20% of the...

Retirement mistake #8 (see all 10) is not having a current will. Many Americans are deeply concerned about the possibility of government interference with their health care. How would you feel about government officials making critical decisions about every aspect of your estate, which could...