If you have a significant estate to leave to your heirs—but you are still alive and well—to whom does that significant estate belong, you or them? This seems a silly question: of course the property belongs to you, but many adult children have come to count on the property their parents will leave them, and—rightly… Read More »
Monthly Archives: March 2009
Organize Your Estate for Your Successor Trustee
If you’ve ever been unlucky enough to have to execute a deceased loved one’s estate, then you know what an overwhelming job it can be. Think about your own method of organization. Do you keep all of your financial papers in one place? Do you keep your birth and marriage certificates nearby and easily accessible? … Read More »
The Sleepy Field of Estate Planning—Until Now
When people think of lawyers they usually think of the fast-paced lives of the characters in John Grisham’s legal dramas, or maybe the dramatic and exciting courtroom scenes from the movie A Few Good Men. But Estate Planning Law has never been like that. Estate Planning has always been a calm and sedate area of… Read More »
Make the Most of IRA Distributions—Carefully
When we talk to clients about “the estate” they will pass on to their heirs, that estate includes a number of components: home, life insurance, bank accounts, investment accounts, secondary properties, and IRAs or other retirement assets. Many people consider their IRA the least of the assets in their estate, because they intend to spend… Read More »
Choosing A Fiduciary: Some Special Thoughts
Choosing your fiduciaries can be one of the most difficult parts of creating your estate plan, especially choosing trustees for your trust, which, depending on the circumstances, you may hope will be in existence for quite a long time. Most people’s first instinct is to choose a family member, someone they know and trust, perhaps… Read More »
Time and Tide Wait for No Man, It’s Time to Update Your Estate Plan
If you are one of the thoughtful people who already have an estate plan you may be looking at the news stories about President Obama and his changes to the estate tax and wondering if it will affect your plan. “How long ago did I create my plan?” is the inevitable question we ask ourselves,… Read More »
Young or Old—Love is in the Air, part 2
When elderly parents fall in love it affects more than just the lovers, it has an impact on their concerned children as well. This is especially true when the lovebirds want to make significant changes in their lives; things such as getting married or moving in with each other. In Monday’s post we shared a… Read More »
Providing for the Special Heroes in Your Life
As an estate planning law firm we often have to take on the role of encouraging our clients to think and talk about difficult and sometimes sad issues. Sometimes, however, we have the joy of sharing something truly heartwarming. This video about autistic high school basketball player Jason McElwain is one of those things. Check… Read More »
Bereaved Relatives Beware!
As if dealing with the emotional pain after the death of a loved was isn’t enough, bereaved relatives now have one more thing to be aware of after a family member has passed away: incorrigible debt collectors looking for someone—anyone!—to pay off the debts of the deceased, even if you have no obligation to do… Read More »
President Obama’s Tax Proposals Bring Mixed Reactions
Change in Washington D.C. means change will eventually trickle down to all of us, especially when that change has to do with taxes. In preparation for that change, Dean Zerbe of Forbes.com has provided us with a review of President Obama’s tax proposals. According to Zerbe, Obama’s proposals contain (as Clint Eastwood would say) the… Read More »