Some of these articles have been written by our law firm and other articles are written by the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and compliments of our law firm. Any feedback or questions about the articles can be addressed by contacting our office.
Facing Reality: The Essence of Family Business Succession Planning
It’s no secret that a business owner must face the reality of what will happen to their company upon their death. Are you prepared to consider the many factors of family business succession planning?
How to Include Service Providers in your Estate Plan
We typically have several companies or individuals who provide important services in our day-to-day life. Would your Trustee know who to contact in order to make sure everything from your home to your medical care continues to run smoothly if you were no longer able to? Find out what to consider when creating a list of important “service providers” when creating your estate plan.
Common Estate Planning Terms You'll Want To Know
Most people won’t be familiar with legal terminology if it’s their first time considering a visit to an estate planning attorney. Before a consultation, review this short list of common estate planning terms to help you prepare and feel more comfortable as you begin to create your plan.
Which Costs More: Probate or Trust Administration?
A Living Trust can help you avoid probate, but does it really save you money? Let's compare the cost of administering a Trust with the cost of probating a Will.
How to Avoid an Estate Planning Scam
Did you know that estate planning scams are becoming more and more common? Here are three tips for making sure you are never a victim.
Fair Does Not Always Mean Equal
It’s something you figure out early in your role as a parent: treating your children fairly does not always mean treating them exactly equally. The fair vs. equal dilemma extends far beyond the days of mediating sibling squabbles and enforcing bedtimes. Sometimes in estate planning, as in parenting, fair does not necessarily mean equal.
Proper Planning Protects Your Vacation Home
Your vacation home is a source of countless cherished family memories, and you may want to keep the property in the family, for your children and grandchildren to enjoy even after you’re gone. However, without proper planning, your vacation home can become a source of conflict for your loved ones. Learn how good planning can protect your vacation home for future generations.
DOMA’s Impact on Estate Planning for LGBTQ Couples
Many in the LGBTQ community and nationwide are celebrating the Supreme Court’s rulings in U.S. v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry. What questions do these rulings raise, and how will they affect your estate plan?
Next Generation Planning for Your Family Business
Many business owners spend so much time working in the business on day-to-day tasks that they forget to ask one essential question: "What will happen to my business after I'm gone?" Most family-owned businesses fail to outlive their owners. Learn how you can help your business survive you.
This New Year, Resolve to Plan Your Estate
What are your New Year’s resolutions this year? Ever thought about adding estate planning to the list? You should; and here’s how to do it.
How Life Insurance Can Fund Your Charitable Legacy
One method for making sure you leave a lasting charitable legacy is to let a life insurance policy do the work for you. Here's how.
Sometimes “No” is the Best Answer
Just because you receive an inheritance does not mean you have to accept the assets. You have the right to disclaim the inheritance, which can be beneficial in some circumstances.
My Will and Trust are Complete, Do I Still Need an Attorney?
If you’ve already created your Will or Trust, chances are that most people think they’ll no longer need the advice of an estate planning attorney. However, even minor life changes may require attention in your plan. Find out why it’s absolutely essential to review your Will or Trust periodically with an experienced estate planning attorney.
Choosing a Trustee: The Relationship Matters
Selecting your trustee is a critical decision because that person will be responsible for making sure your wishes are carried out in your estate plan. But what should you do if there’s tension between that person and other family members? Find out why relationships matter when selecting your trustee.
Planning for a Stress-Free Vacation
While many people plan out their vacations in great detail, they may be forgetting to address what to do if the unexpected happens while they're out of town. Find out how setting an estate plan in place, even a basic one, can minimize your worries about those “what if’s,” and enjoy that vacation you’ve been dreaming of.
Loaning Family Money – What You Need To Know
Loaning Family Money – What You Need To Know Loaning Family Money – What You Need To Know Written By: The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys People lend money to family members for a variety of reasons.
Include Personal Property When Creating Your Estate Plan
Even with extremely careful planning, people can often neglect to outline who should receive their family heirlooms and emotionally valuable property. Find out what you can do to avoid unnecessary feuds over your tangible personal property and help prevent potential family conflict.
What Does it Mean to Leave a Legacy?
We all want to leave a lasting legacy for our children and grandchildren, but it can be easier said than done. In this article, find out how legacy wealth planning can go beyond basic estate planning to provide your loved ones with a true legacy, rather than a set of inheritances.
Be Prepared With Year-End Tax Strategies
It may seem too early to prepare for tax season, but these tips and tricks can save you money next spring.
Gifts to Minors: Sharing Your Wealth the Smart Way
A simple way to reduce your estate tax bill is to make financial gifts during your lifetime. Children and grandchildren are natural recipients of our generosity, but there are a few things you’ll want to consider if they are still minors. Here are some common strategies for sharing your wealth with the children in your lives.
Why Choose a Living Trust?
The living trust is an incredibly popular estate planning option, but what is it exactly? Explore the uses and benefits of a living trust as you decide whether this planning tool is the right option for you.
More Bang for Your Buck: Education Planning with Deferred Annuities
With college costs at an all-time high and no relief in sight, parents and grandparents are looking for ways to maximize their education savings dollars. Learn how you can combine the savings from an education trust with the tax savings feature of a deferred annuity to increase your college spending power.
Special Needs Trusts for Children with Down Syndrome
Does your child with Down syndrome receive government benefits? If yes, using your Will to leave money directly to your child can jeopardize his or her government benefits. Learn how a Special Needs Trust can provide long-term protection for your child.
Does Your Estate Plan Include Digital Assets?
Your estate plan covers your real estate, your financial accounts, and your family heirlooms, but what about your digital assets? Learn what your digital assets are and how to protect them.
James Gandolfini's Will: 3 Lessons for You and Yours
Sopranos star James Gandolfini died in 2013 at the age of 51. Within weeks of his death, his Will was made public and put under a media microscope. Why did this happen and, more importantly, what lessons can you learn from it to protect yourself and your family?
I'm a Trustee! Now What?
A loved one has given you the honor and responsibility of serving as a successor Trustee. But what does this really mean? Keep reading to learn about the responsibilities involved in administering a Trust.
An Estate Plan: Don't Leave Home Without it
As you review your vacation checklist, make sure you're not forgetting your estate plan. Without an up-to-date estate plan, a vacation emergency could leave you and your loved ones vulnerable. Here's what you need to know.
Estate Planning is Essential for Same-Sex Couples
For most people, dying without an estate plan means burdening loved ones with added inconvenience, delay and expense. For same-sex couples, however, dying without an estate plan can spell disaster. Find out why and learn what you can do about it.
Eighteen: The Magic Number?
You might look at your eighteen-year-old and see an average teenager, but, legally speaking, eighteen means adulthood. When your child turns eighteen, you no longer have the right to manage their property, access their medical records, or do any number of things you’ve taken for granted until now. Learn about the practical problems this can present and how you can plan around them.
How a Pet Trust Can Protect Your Furry Friends
Many of us think of our pets as family members, but we don’t always think through who will care for our beloved animals after we die. Did you know that you can and should include your pet in your estate plan? Here are some simple options for making sure your pet lives a happy and healthy life, even after you’re gone.
Is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust Right for You?
The Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust is a common estate planning tool. Although this trust is irrevocable, it offers some flexibility. Learn some basic facts and benefits offered by an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust. Discover whether it might work as part of your estate plan.
Protect Your Right to Make Medical Decisions
Who would make your medical decisions if you were terminally ill or get into an unexpected accident? Have you expressed your wishes to your family members and, just as importantly, have you formalized your wishes so that your doctors will follow them?
What to Expect at Your First Estate Planning Consultation
A little nervous about your first estate planning consultation? Don't be. Here's what to expect.
Five Things Every Woman Should Know About Estate Planning
Women’s roles in society and within the family have shifted dramatically over the past several generations and women have more earning power than ever before, yet too many wives take a backseat to their husbands when the subject of estate planning comes up. Here are five things every woman should know when it comes to estate planning.
How the American Taxpayer Relief Act Will Affect You
Congress pulled America back from the fiscal cliff when it passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act on New Year's Day. The law covers a range of issues, form income taxes to the estate tax. Learn the specifics and find out how the new law will affect you and your family.
Five Non-Tax Reasons You Need an Estate Plan
Estate planning is only for wealthy people who want to reduce their estate taxes, right? Wrong! Only a tiny percentage of Americans need to worry about estate taxes but every adult needs an estate plan. Find out why.
This New Year, Resolve to Review Your Estate Planning Options
It's time to make your New Year's resolutions. This year, consider adding a review of your estate planning options to your list. Whether or not you already have an estate plan in place, a careful review of your planning options will ensure that you protect your family and assets and leave a lasting legacy. This article reviews some estate planning information for you to consider for this New Year.
What You Should Know About Seminars on Wills & Living Trusts
Have you ever been invited to an estate planning seminar, but been hesitant to attend? When a seminar is conducted by a licensed estate planning attorney, it can be the perfect way to learn about your planning options. Here's how an estate planning seminar can help you.
Three Ways the IRS Rewards Your Generosity
Giving to charity is wonderful way to support your favorite cause, and it makes you feel great. But what if you want to go the extra mile and make a larger than usual contribution? Here are three ways the IRS rewards you for including philanthropy in your estate plan.
Three Simple Steps for Managing a Windfall
What would you do if you suddenly became wealthy? Did you know that there are certain steps you should take if you win the lottery, inherit a fortune, or receive some other form of a windfall? Find out how to make the most of sudden riches – and how to avoid financial trouble.
Tax Alert! Special Gifting Opportunities Expire December 31, 2012
Is estate tax planning on your autumn “to do” list? If not, maybe it should be. On January 1, 2013, federal estate and gift taxes stand to increase dramatically, affecting everyone who dies with an estate valued over $1 million. Learn the steps you can take now to save yourself - and your loved ones - millions.
Home: Your Most Valuable Investment
Your home is likely your family's most valuable asset, not only emotionally, but also financially. Read this article to learn how you can take advantage of the tax, estate planning, and asset protection benefits available to you as a homeowner.
Estate Planning Across Borders
Owning assets outside the United States raises a number of estate planning questions: Who gets your property when you pass away? What taxes are due? And how should your estate plan in the U.S. be tailored to ensure that all your property – here and abroad – is transferred as efficiently and effectively as possible?
The Problem With Joint Tenancy
Joint tenancy is a popular form of property ownership, primarily because when one owner dies, title to the property automatically re-vests in the surviving joint tenants. But using joint tenancy to avoid probate can create more problems than it solves.
Why Everyone Needs an Estate Plan
People tend to think of estate planning as something that only the wealthy or the elderly need to do. In truth, regardless of your age, your situation in life, or your level of wealth, estate planning accomplishes a few universal goals.
How Low Interest Rates Can Influence Your Estate Plan
You might not realize the advantages a low interest rate environment can offer for estate tax planning. Let's take a look at just a few.
Planning for the Worst-Case Scenario
Sometimes, in an attempt to avoid thinking about the worst, we miss the opportunity to do the best for our loved ones. A comprehensive estate plan can help you confront your fears in a way that will ease your family’s responsibilities, should the unexpected happen.
How to Leave an Inheritance for Your Special Needs Child
Keeping your special needs child secure after you are gone takes special planning. The right techniques can ensure both your child’s well-being and your peace of mind.
Insurance: The Missing Link in Your Estate Plan?
Insurance has a number of uses as an estate planning tool. It helps protect and preserve your estate, giving you more to pass on to your loved ones. It also has special characteristics that allow you to position your estate for sophisticated estate planning. Learn about the basic categories of insurance and how they strengthen your estate plan.
Why Your Trust Shouldn't be Short and Sweet
The draft of your new Trust makes you wonder if your estate planning attorney gets paid by the word. Is all this verbiage really necessary? In fact, a good plan has many points to cover.
Tax Breaks for the Sandwich Generation
It can be a surprise to find yourself caring for elderly parents at the same time that you’re raising your own children. The emotional demands of these multiple roles are often coupled with financial challenges as well. That’s why it’s important to know when you can claim your aging or ill parent as a dependent for income tax purposes.
Trusts and Income Tax: Who Pays?
As Trusts gain popularity, a question comes up more and more often: who pays the income tax on a Trust? It seems like a simple inquiry, but the answer can be hard to pin down. So, who does pay income tax on a Trust? Here is the answer, in a nutshell.
A Quick Guide for Basis
You might have heard the word basis used in reference to taxes. Learn the definition of basis and how it can make a big difference in your estate plan.
What Does It Mean To Be a Trustee?
If you’ve been chosen to serve as a Trustee, what responsibilities can you expect? Learn about the basic duties that come with this important and sometimes daunting job, and find out where you can go for guidance.
Avoid These Four Asset Protection Pitfalls
The estate planning process presents a number of opportunities for using asset protection strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones. Learn about asset protection, and avoid these four common pitfalls.
Moving? Don’t Forget to Review Your Estate Plan
Although your Will or Trust might be the last thing on your mind as you prepare to move, this is actually an ideal time to review and update your estate plan. Find out why.
Expecting the Unexpected
Life is full of surprises. None of us have a crystal ball, and this means it is unreasonable to create an estate plan without flexibility regarding your long-term wishes for your loved ones. When you build flexibility into your estate plan with a power of appointment, you can empower your spouse or children to stand in your place and make decisions based on your family’s changed circumstances.
The Accidental Spouse
Could you be married and not even realize it? If you live in a state that recognizes common law marriage, you could be married even without a marriage license or an official ceremony. Find out how common law marriage affects your estate plan and what you can do about it.
I Have an Estate Plan: Do I Still Need My Attorney?
Your estate plan is prepared. Your Living Trust is in place and properly funded, you have a Pour-Over Will just in case, and your incapacity plan is ready and waiting in the event you need it. Is it time to part ways with your attorney? Not at all! In fact, your relationship with your estate planning attorney has just started.
Why a Trust Makes Sense - Even If Your Child Is Not a Child
If your children have reached adulthood, you might assume it's best to leave them their inheritances outright, with no restrictions. However, you want to make sure your children enjoy flexibility in accessing and using their inheritances while minimizing the impact of taxes, divorce, lawsuits, and other threats. Therefore, it might be better to leave their inheritances in a Trust.
Planning Your Estate With Privacy in Mind
When you use a Will to plan your estate, much of your personal information becomes public after your death. A Trust can help you accomplish your estate planning goals while shielding your personal affairs from prying eyes.
Your Family Deserves More Than an Estate Plan
If you want to leave a true legacy, a traditional estate plan is not enough. With Legacy Planning, you can pass on your values, wisdom, and family heritage along with your nest egg. You can also provide your children's inheritances with just the right amount of protection from the threats and challenges of life.
Helping Your Parents Age Gracefully
Your mom and dad have always been there to guide you through life's challenges. Now, the tables are turning. Learn some strategies for gently helping your parents plan for the challenges they're likely to face as they age.
What to Expect When You're Inheriting
Most of us have daydreamed about inheriting money, but the reality of inheriting often doesn't match our dreams. In the real world, an inheritance can bring with it a number of questions and worries. Here we address four common concerns about inheritances.
Five Estate Planning Myths
Estate planning is on everyone's "should do" list, but it rarely seems to make it to the top of the "to do" list. Perhaps this is because of all the myths surrounding the estate planning process. Here are five common estate planning myths, along with the truths behind them.
Does a Roth Make Sense for You?
Choosing between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA can have significant tax and estate planning consequences. Whether a Roth is the right option depends on a number of factors, including an account owner's current income, anticipated post-retirement income, and estate planning goals.
The Estate Tax Is Not the Only Consideration in Estate Planning
The U.S. Congress continually debates the estate tax, often considering whether or not it should be done away with entirely. Many people think this tax is a cornerstone of estate planning, so if it's eliminated, they don't need an estate plan. Nothing is further from the truth. This article explains why.
Getting Value Out of Giving with Charitable Trust
You've heard the maxim, "It's better to give than to receive." Americans take this aphorism to heart, especially as it relates to contributions to charity. Did you know that our tax laws actually encourage charitable giving? This article will explain gift-giving options from small to large, each with tax-savings implications.
Leaving a Ranching Legacy
Ranch life comes with its own particular challenges and rewards. Therefore, ranch families have even more need for professional advice than other families when it comes to finding the most effective means of passing on their assets, which may be more substantial than they suppose. This article explores various means that can be employed to create an estate plan which minimizes taxes and distributes assets equitably.
There's No Time Like the Present to Review your Plans
Time passes quickly. Life brings change. While these may seem like platitudes, they reflect the truth of most people's lives. This article will encourage you to recognize a new life stage as an opportunity to review and fine tune your estate plan.
Make Sure Your Dreams Don't Turn Into Nightmares
The financial consequences of a divorce can be costly. You can do things right now to protect future generations in your family from suffering financial devastation after a breakup.
Is Your Ex-Spouse Really Out of Your Life?
Divorce is bad enough, but did you know that your children and new spouse can suffer financial devastation if you do not remember to change your estate planning documents after a divorce?
Choose Your Estate Planning Practitioner Wisely
Who should you entrust with planning your estate? Unfortunately, the estate planning industry can be a mixed bag. Along with licensed, qualified attorneys there are unqualified, or even unlicensed, individuals producing cookie-cutter estate plans that may or may not work as intended. Find out why you should choose your estate planning practitioner wisely.
Look After Your Spouse Even After You're Gone
You and your spouse have worked hard to save for your golden years. But have you planned for a long, secure retirement if one of you outlives the other? Here’s how paying attention to certain key financial areas can set both of you up for a secure, worry-free retirement.
Short and Sweet is Not Always Better
When you compare a do-it-yourself living trust with one that was prepared by a qualified estate planning attorney, one of the first things you’re likely to notice is that the attorney-prepared trust is long. And it might not be so easy to read. There’s a good reason for this. This article discusses the reasons why planning for contingencies with an attorney drafted estate plan is the better choice. When it comes to estate planning, there’s any number of contingencies to prepare for.
Don't be Fooled: Estate Planning Isn't Just for the Wealthy
Estate planning is not just for the wealthy. The truth is, estate planning is about achieving some pretty common goals and taking care of basic responsibilities, regardless of how big or small our investment portfolio happens to be.
Practical Strategies for Protecting Your Privacy
We’re all exposed to invasions of our privacy, large and small, during our lifetimes and even after death. These practical strategies make it easier to shield your family’s personal affairs from prying eyes.
Leaving a Lasting Legacy
When you really think about it, your true wealth is much more than just your accumulated assets or material possessions. With the right plan, you can protect and preserve your true wealth and create a legacy for your family that will last for generations to come.
Estate Planning Without a Crystal Ball
When you are planning your estate, it is important to remember that circumstances rarely stay the same over long periods of time. A plan that worked for your family when the kids were little may very well be obsolete by the time they've started families of their own. This is why it's important to ensure that you build flexibility into your plan.
Puppy Love: Planning Your Estate With a Pet Trust
Increasingly, pet owners are not just worried about providing for our pets during our lifetimes, we want to ensure that they get all the love and care they need after we’re gone, too. This article discusses the estate planning benefits a Pet Trust can provide for your furry and feathered animal companions.
Help! My Attorney No Longer Practices Law
It's not something we often stop to think about, but attorneys experience life changes like anyone else. They may change careers or experience an illness or disability, or they may retire or even pass away. This article discusses the steps you should take if your estate planning lawyer no longer practices law.
Planning Your Estate? Don't Forget Insurance
The term "estate planning" usually calls to mind the process of creating a Will, establishing a Living Trust, or naming a guardian for young children. One piece of the estate planning puzzle that might not be readily apparent, though, is insurance. Learn how insurance in its many forms plays an important role in the estate planning process.
Parenting Your Grandchildren? You Need a Solid Estate Plan
According to data collected in the 2010 census, 4.9 million children under age eighteen live in grandparent-headed households. If you are in this growing number of grandparents returning to your “parent” role again, one of the pressing responsibilities that accompany your job as caregiver is to make sure you have a plan for your grandchildren in the event that something happens to you. And because you’re older now than you were the first time around, planning becomes even more important. This article reviews why it is imperative to have an estate plan in place and what a basic plan should include.
What to Expect When You're Inheriting
At some point in our lives, we all dream of receiving an inheritance. We envision buying a new car, finally being able to afford private schools for the kids, or maybe even taking a trip around the world. But the reality of inheriting money or property often differs from our dreams. The process of settling an estate and distributing a deceased person’s assets can be time consuming. During this process you may have questions about taxes on various types of assets you may be inheriting, such as IRAs, valuable collectibles, and other property. This article provides a summary on what you can expect during this process if you’re anticipating an inheritance.
Helping Your Parents Through Their Twilight Years
As a child, your parents were there to guide and support you as you faced life’s challenges and obstacles in your path growing up. Similarly, as your parents age, and become less independent, they will rely on you as they face new challenges in their twilight years. This article examines how planning well in advance is important to ensure that no matter what lies ahead, their care and financial affairs will be looked after. Regardless of their financial means, if they are wealthy or of more modest means, there is a plan that can meet the specific needs of your family.
One Big Happy Family: How to Avoid an Estate Dispute
Picture this… You’re at the end of your long, fulfilling life and you’re ready to say goodbye to your loved ones and leave this world in peace. And then… your family declares war on each other. This scenario plays out all too often even in the closest of families. This article examines helpful ways to plan and avoid divisive family disputes after you are gone.
10 Essential Estate Planning Facts
An alarming 55% of American's don't have an estate plan in place. Procrastination is a common excuse. However, for many people it's a lack of knowledge about estate planning, including the benefits, their options and the protections it offers them and their families. This article reviews 10 essential estate planning facts that will arm with you with enough knowledge to cross estate planning off your "to do" list.
Why are Roth's Such a Big Deal?
A Roth IRA has some important distinctions from a traditional IRA, and, depending on your tax bracket, your retirement needs, and your estate planning goals, a Roth could be a better choice for you. So, what's the difference between the two types of IRAs? This article explores how each IRA works and which option can best fit your personal needs and goals.
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