What is your estate plan all about? Is it about saving your assets from estate tax, or is it about leaving an inheritance for your children? Or is it something even beyond that—providing for your own financial security during your life, thus enabling you to leave a lasting legacy for your family? Estate planning—or what… Read More »
Posts Tagged: Estate Planning
If You’re Waiting on Congress to Settle the Estate Tax—Better to Take Action Now
Schoolchildren aren’t the only ones putting their noses back to the grindstone after this warm summer and long Labor Day weekend; Congress is also returning to work, and among the many issues they will be discussing is that of the Estate Tax, which is set to expire for one year in 2010. According to The Wall… Read More »
What We Can Learn From the Kennedy Trusts
The recent death of Senator Ted Kennedy has given us an opportunity to reflect on the unique nature of trusts not only as a tool to protect assets for future generations, but also as a way to leave a lasting legacy for your children and grandchildren. The Kennedy trust—or Kennedy trusts, we should say—are some… Read More »
Helping the Special People in Your Life: The Special Needs Trust
Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles often come into our offices to make estate plans, and one of the questions they ask is how they can support the people in their lives who have special needs. Special needs can include anything from Autism or Down Syndrome to Paralysis or blindness, and everything in between. These special… Read More »
In the News: What Does it Mean to Have a Health Care Directive?
There seems to be a lot of fear around President Obama’s proposed healthcare reforms, most of that fear centering on the end-of-life planning included in the proposal. As a firm that deals with elder law issues, it is important to us that our clients be informed about their health care and choices. As we regularly counsel… Read More »
What is REALLY Behind a Contested Will?
Tolstoy said that “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” but sometimes even the most stable and happy of families can turn angry and litigious when death and property are involved. It never ceases to be surprising how many seemingly strong family relationships devolve into backbiting and grudge-holding when… Read More »
Talking Taxes Now Brings Big Savings Next April
Everyone knows that March and April are tax season, when everybody scrambles to get their taxes done, mailed off, and out of mind for the rest of the year; but according to this article from Reuters the taxes you pay in April can be significantly lower if you take the time to think about them… Read More »
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Wills and Trusts
It is human nature to want to be as informed as possible before making big decisions, and although we all know how important it is, the decision to create an estate plan is a BIG one. Most people like to do a little research and asking around before putting themselves at the mercy of an… Read More »
Who Needs An Estate Plan?
The recent unveiling of Michael Jackson’s will has brought up a lot of questions about wills, trusts, and estate planning: Why is his will so short? Does this mean it doesn’t work? Where is all his money going? And then there’s the statement that makes any estate planning attorney shudder: I guess trusts and estate… Read More »
Michael Jackson’s Will Answers Few Questions
The past week has been filled with media speculation about Michael Jackson and his will: Did he have one and what might be in it? Well the waiting is finally over… kind of. It turns out Michael Jackson did create a will, which was submitted to the California probate courts earlier this week. The will… Read More »