When a married couple owns property, state laws may dictate how their property may be distributed at death or divided in a divorce. It is important to understand how your state of residence treats property ownership of spouses, especially if you are moving to a new state. 

There are many factors that prompt a move to a new state, including location of family, better climate and, of course, taxes. If you are moving from a higher-tax state to a lower-tax state, it can be particularly important to effectively establish your domicile in your new state. 

“Family” is a powerful word, loaded with meanings and emotions. And today, family structures go far beyond historical legal and cultural definitions. For any of today’s families, the essential planning questions of yesterday still apply. In general, the special planning considerations for families that differ from “traditional” families fall into a few main categories.

Prenuptial agreements shouldn’t be thought of as an exit plan for a marriage or “just” a legal document, but rather a conversation that can help a couple to understand what they could be facing in their marriage and decide for themselves how to handle their financial affairs. Certain considerations may help you decide if a prenuptial agreement is right for you.

There are many types of personal security risks that you and your family may face. Being aware of and managing such risks can help you feel empowered rather than fearful. The process for assessing your risk should follow a clear methodology that identifies areas of vulnerability, followed by a plan for eliminating or reducing those vulnerabilities.

Safeguarding family wealth requires recognizing, acknowledging and preventing exposure to risks—and risks come in all shapes and forms, including people, computers or legal actions. All have the potential to damage your financial security and your family’s wealth.

Given the online world in which we live today, it can be easy for an individual's reputation to be damaged. Luckily, there are certain considerations that can help you protect your reputation.

Asset protection may cover everything from how assets are owned and titled, to how they’re insured and protected, to how they can be efficiently managed. As you think about protecting your family's assets, there are some tactics that may be right for you and your family.

Most people have little experience dealing with estate administration and are often overwhelmed when they discover they’ve been appointed to oversee it. While there are many activities involved with administering an estate, you may be able to ease the burden by familiarizing yourself with the process.