Along with the rest of the nation, you are probably watching the progress of various versions of the health care legislation making their way (or not making their way) through Congress. An article in the Deember 13, 2009, issue of the New York Times points out that the current bill contains a “major new federal insurance… Read More »
Blog Posts Page 47
The Shortest Will: It May Hold the Record, But It Won’t Hold Water
Have you ever wondered just how little you could get away with in your last will and testament? Aletta Stager of Brooklyn, NY holds the distinction of having executed one of the shortest wills on record—a mere 2 lines long! “Nov. 29, 1895. I give to my cousin, Nettie M. Cowan, all money that I… Read More »
New Developments in the Estate Tax Arena
The question on every estate planning attorney’s mind (and on the minds of our clients) is what will happen to the estate tax next year? There is less than a month left before the estate tax expires, and although nobody expects our representatives in Washington to actually let that happen, as of yet there are… Read More »
Tax Moves to Make Before the End of 2009
Why do people give so many charitable gifts in December? The holiday spirit may not be the only thing inspiring people to give to the less fortunate this month, it may also have something to do with lowering your 2009 tax bill. If it’s taxes you’re worried about, there are a few other moves you… Read More »
Going Beyond Legal Language with an Ethical Will
Estate and Legacy planning documents are often seen as difficult, and boring pieces of paper—which in some ways is exactly what they have to be in order to someday withstand tough legal scrutiny; but unless you’re an attorney who is practiced at reading the sentiment between the lines of dry legal jargon, these documents don’t… Read More »
Test Your Knowledge: An Estate Planning Quiz
How much do you know about estate plans? And how do you know when you need one? Many people have a vague feeling that they should execute some kind of estate plan eventually, but think (hope) that they really don’t need one right now. On our blog we spend a lot of time telling people… Read More »
In This Season of Thanksgiving…
The days are getting shorter, the weather cooler, and the skeletal arms of trees reach for the skies as their colorful apparel rests on the ground. All of these signs point to just one thing… No, not the estate tax repeal (although that does loom close); I’m referring, of course, to the upcoming holiday season—a… Read More »
As Time Goes By… Part 3
Our previous installments on how to review your estate plan discussed how and why to review the more financial portions of your estate plan; for this final installment we will cover how to review the documents that may be closer to your heart: your health care documents and documents pertaining to minor children (such as… Read More »
As Time Goes By… Part 2
In our recent blog post we listed 6 essential components of your Estate Plan that should be reviewed on a regular basis and why it’s so important to keep them updated. Today we’ll go into more detail about the first of these components; what they are, and how to review them. Fiduciaries– Make a list… Read More »
As Time Goes By… Part 1
For many people the holiday season brings more than just celebration. Seeing family and friends you may not have seen since this time last year means seeing children who have shot up like weeds, siblings and cousins with noticeably more gray in their hair, and even sometimes seeing an empty place at the dinner table… Read More »