Take 3 steps to protect your assets if you're LGBTQ, say experts: This is 'our first recommendation [View all]

When it comes to money, members of the LGBTQ community can be vulnerable targets for malicious actors. Although legal protections and social acceptance have come a long way in the U.S., there's still plenty of room for improvement.

That's especially true considering the growing amount of legislation restricting transgender and nonbinary health care, challenging LGBTQ expression and censoring education on sexuality and gender identity. A record 520 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures in 2023, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

One area that many people overlook: estate planning. Making arrangements for the possibility that you die or become unable to make decisions for yourself can be difficult for anyone, but if you're a member of the LGBTQ community, you'll want to take additional steps to protect your assets.

That's because you should be the person making decisions for your future, regardless of your gender identity or sexual orientation — not a hostile family member or the law.

Here are three steps you can take to protect your assets and personal desires.

more...