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Estates can be orderly or chaotic; the individual determines the state of affairs. A simple will can make life easier for everyone. Too many people keep putting off drafting a will until the future. Kicking the can down the street has consequences that are rough for beneficiaries. Group legal plans promote simple wills as a pre-paid legal services benefit, and plan members should not ignore this chore.

 

The Probate Hassle

 

The mission of the probate court is to assure the distribution of the estate to the rightful beneficiaries. Dying intestate, without a will, makes matters difficult as the state tumbles into probate bureaucracy. Probate court can be a spider’s web of regulations and procedures. The court appoints an administrator to supervise the estate’s distribution. That person reports directly to the court. Seeking court approval for various actions will slow down the process. It can take months before the estate is formally closed. Continue reading

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Legal documents mystify people. The language is not something they are familiar with, but the consequences of misinterpreting the words can be significant. Contracts, leases, and other written forms of agreement can carry clauses that will penalize somebody for noncompliance. The same is true for various government applications and requests for information.

Group legal plans offer a variety of services to people that cover ordinary situations. A review of legal documents is a benefit that employees will appreciate. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services have legal documents reviewed as a benefit option for a Group Legal Plan. It is well worth being considered by employers.

It is a good idea to have documents reviewed before signing them. The individual should be aware of the responsibilities he or she must accept by signing any legal paper. Countrywide has a nationwide network of attorneys who provide pre-paid legal services. These legal professionals can quickly interpret a document and define its meaning. Continue reading

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Many first-time home-buyers are frightened about buying a house. The cost is enormous, and the obligation will last for years. People are going to make some mistakes when it comes to financing and these errors can be expensive in money and time. Several common slip-ups include the following.

  1. Being Unprepared for Post Purchase Expenses

These bills happen after a person has taken possession of the house. That new home may need repair work on the roof, new electrical wiring might be required, and ordinary appliances such as a new refrigerator or dishwasher are necessary. New owners don’t ordinarily plan for such expenses and are faced with bills they did not initially expect. Continue reading

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Personal finances can be a significant source of stress and worry. It is not always easy to balance the books and people are often required to live from paycheck to paycheck. Any sudden emergency can upset matters and lead to private chaos. Too many bills and money concerns can disrupt financial wellness.

Some Sense of Order

People will try to bring order to their financial house, but they are not always successful. Inexperience can create problems. Recent college graduates may have no experience with budgeting. Someone who is recently promoted or gets a pay raise may not understand how to allocate the extra cash efficiently. The resulting confusion can range from minor headaches to a real crisis. No one wants either. Receiving good financial advice helps a person chart a sensible course.

Countrywide Uses Financial Professionals

Financial wellness consists of paying bills properly, managing emergencies effectively, and planning for future costs or investments. No employer should expect all employees to be money experts. Professional guidance is an appreciated benefit. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a Financial Wellness Plan that gives the best cash counseling. Continue reading

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The advances in modern medicine are nearly miraculous. People who were once considered terminal cases now have a fighting chance to recover, survive, and thrive. Consumers are becoming aware of new therapies and treatments and they are also more cost-conscious. They want second opinions and will decide what they would like to have as their treatment. That freedom of choice is excellent, but it does not mean anything if the patient is unresponsive.

Following the Protocols

Healthcare providers will follow standard protocols of treatment if they have no other instructions from the patient. These procedures might not be what the patient wants. The treatments could also be costly. Nevertheless, without the patient’s instructions, the protocols will be followed. It would be beneficial if group legal plans provided living wills and medical powers of attorney benefits. The documents offer these valuable benefits:

  1. The living will specifies what medical procedures will be used if the patient is not responsive;
  2. Medical powers of attorney authorize a trusted person to make decisions for an unresponsive patient. That person knows what the patient wants and instructs the healthcare providers accordingly.

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The law is a significant influence in everyone’s daily life; it is more than obeying traffic rules. There are leases, contracts, agreements, licenses, and other documents to regulate our activity.

Group Legal Plans will help make sense of things. Pre-paid legal services will assist with drafting wills, reviewing legal documents, and offering consumer protection advice, among other matters. These are excellent benefits that are made better with quality service. Good communication is essential.

Being Personal and Approachable

Business literature will buzz with articles about artificial intelligence and robotics. It’s right that machines will play a major role, but there will still be a need for emotional intelligence in service-related industries. The law is a service and it can get confusing. Continue reading

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The academic year is now in full swing. Students are filling up the classrooms in colleges and universities and they are acquiring the knowledge they need for their future careers. They’re also acquiring debt which will affect career decisions.

 

College Debt Harms Financial Wellness

 

Tuition and living expenses are burdens to a college student, and graduates must bear the brunt of the weight. The final cost of a four-year college degree can be close to six figures and a graduate degree adds to the bill. A person might be committed to paying the loan balances for decades.

 

The application can influence career decisions. Employers will notice highly talented staff leaving for other jobs after only a few months. College debt payments can force a person to change jobs, not for career enrichment, but to make more money to pay the loan balances. It is in the best interest of organizations to help an employee manage those education bills. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a Financial Wellness Plan that provides needed assistance. Continue reading

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Enormous debt balances may come on gradually. People get used to paying for everything, including groceries, with credit cards. It doesn’t take long for the purchases and the double-digit interest charged to create a sizable balance of credit card debt. An emergency medical bill could do the same damage. Financial wellness is placed in danger as the total amount owed goes to five or even six figures.

Anxiety Leads to Panic

Owing large amounts of money creates anxiety and then panic as the figures grow. The person wants to be fiscally responsible but gets overwhelmed by the monthly payments. Mistakes such as forgetting a payment or not paying anything destroys credit and leads to wage garnishments. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services wants to help folks get out of financial quicksand. Our Financial Wellness Plan will assist a person in ending a terrible nightmare.

Handling a Financial Wellness Crisis

Anyone in financial distress needs special attention. Countrywide provides services that address the issue of staggering debt. Continue reading

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Group Legal Plans encourage members to use the simple will drafting benefit. It isn’t too complicated and a simple will determines how an estate is distributed. It prevents a lot of probate court hassles and there is something else even more important. This pre-paid legal services option can prevent a major family feud.

Estates Can Be Messy

A death in the family will bring loved ones together in a spirit of mutual grieving and sympathy. The estate left behind can pull that same family apart and create domestic chaos. Relatives can grumble about what is specified in a will but that is all they can do. However, in an estate without a will a family can quickly become involved in a vicious battle.

The probate court becomes intimately involved. An administrator is appointed by the bench and reports directly to the court. There is no executor to keep things running smoothly. Family disputes over who gets what can create hard feelings that take years to reconcile. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is a Group Legal Plan vendor that has drafting simple wills as an option. Continue reading

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People will make bad decisions and financial wellness suffers. They decide to use forbearance to manage a college loan or pay a medical bill before the health insurer has paid its share. It is unfair to say those with debt are frivolous spenders. However, it is safe to assume they don’t know what to do. Access to the right information is important.

So Many Options

Unreliable sources of information and online “experts” will give ideas that may not be good. Trouble arises when an individual is financially illiterate. His or her choices can be the result of believing the wrong money guru or a poorly written financial blog. No relationship develops. The online advisor addresses a general audience and rarely works with an individual. It is easy to make financial mistakes when there is a lot of information and no one to help sort the good from the bad. Continue reading