We frequently urge you here on our blog to create the documents necessary to protect yourself in case of emergency, and to ensure that your family and loved ones know your wishes for health care if you are ever unable to make those decisions yourself. But a recent article on MSNBC reminds us that creating… Read More »
Blog Posts Page 45
The Most Important Plan You’ll Make
Whether or not we do it regularly, all of us know how to plan ahead: We plan for travel and vacation, we plan weddings, and we plan for natural disasters, for retirement, or what to make for dinner tomorrow night. Why is it, then, that so few of us will create a plan to help… Read More »
When and Why You Might Turn Down An Inheritance
Would you ever turn down an inheritance? Your first reaction might be “Of course not!” But don’t speak too soon. Most estate plans are created at least in part to protect heirs (generally spouses and children) from the sometimes devastating blow of estate taxes; but with the estate tax in a confusing state of flux… Read More »
10 Tips for Potential (or Existing) Trustees
The creation of a trust and estate plan includes spending a certain amount of time choosing the people who will be your fiduciaries—the people who will carry out your wishes. One of the most important fiduciaries is your trustee, who is involved in just about every aspect of the administration of your trust. Most people… Read More »
News and Updates About the Estate Tax
A month and a half into 2010 and Congress’ failure to stop the lapse in estate tax is still making waves. These two trusted news sources explain why having “no estate tax” this year should worry you. One of the first reasons you should be worried, as revealed by this article in the Wall Street… Read More »
The Question of Competence
One of the things estate planning attorneys have to deal with in their line of work (most often with elderly clients) is the question of whether or not a client is competent to sign their legal documents. Every principal (or person executing the documents) must be competent, and most attorneys—most people—can make this assessment based… Read More »
Make Your Memoirs a Part of Your Legacy
As members of a melting-pot nation, Americans place a high value on family stories and history. We love to know when and why our ancestors came to this country from “the home land”; but we also enjoy the simple stories about how mom and dad met, or how grandpa served in the military. These stories… Read More »
Living in a Digital World
Do you have an e-mail account? Do you participate in Facebook or other Social Networking sites? Do you do any of your banking, bill paying or investing online? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you might want to think about this next question… what will happen to all of your online… Read More »
What Does “Do Not Resuscitate” Mean to You?
Everybody seems to know (from popular TV shows, if nothing else) that DNR means “Do Not Resuscitate”, but do you know what “Do Not Resuscitate” means in your own personal healthcare directive or living will? Too often, when talking with clients about the healthcare documents in their estate plans, they don’t know the extent of… Read More »
The Importance of Being Earnest
Do you have a will or a trust? Has your will or trust been reviewed or updated in the past 3-5 years? If you answered yes to these questions then you are two steps ahead of 2/3 of the rest of Americans. But the next question is the big one: Does your family or executor… Read More »