If you want to make charitable donations before the end of the year, you’re not alone. According to Giving USA, an estimated $484 billion was given to charity in the U.S. in 2021, a 4% increase from 2020.

The probate process can be expensive for some estates. Settling an estate through probate can cost you both time and money. It could take up to a year for the estate to be settled, plus attorney’s fees, appraiser’s fees, and court costs may eat up as much as 5% of a decedent’s assets. Probating an estate valued at $400,000 could cost as much as $20,000.1

For many families, finances are rarely discussed in detail, even as children mature into adulthood. But as your parents age, especially if they live into their 80s and 90s, there's a chance that they may lose their cognitive function and be less capable of managing various tasks. This can be upsetting for some parents and they may try to fight it, or deny that it’s happening.

It’s believed that retirement planning as we currently know it didn’t really exist until a few decades ago. Up to that point, people worked until 65 and then sailed into retirement on a pension plan.

The point of the POA. A power of attorney (POA) is a legal instrument that delegates an individual’s legal authority to another person. If an individual is incapacitated, the POA assigns a trusted party to make decisions on his or her behalf. 

If you and your spouse are making plans to retire, you’re probably wondering whether it’s a good idea to retire at the same time. Many couples go through the same thought process and, in fact, one in four couples quit their jobs within a year of each other.

More Americans are retiring earlier than you might think