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 moreChoosing 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 moreAh, it’s spring again…and love is in the air. The equinox is only a couple of weeks away, and although it’s not as obvious in some parts of the country such as California, in others the evidence is all around. As Tennyson said, “In Spring a fuller crimson comes upon the robin’s breast; In the […]
Read moreAs 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 moreChange 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 moreIf you’ve been wondering whether it’s worth the time and money to have an attorney help you with your estate plan, the New York Times is here with an answer, and everything you need to know is right there in the title of the article: Good Advice Makes All the Difference in Estate Planning. I […]
Read moreHow do you want to die? Do you want lifesaving treatments to be administered even if all brain activity has ceased? Is your family aware of your wishes? And perhaps the more important question, according to the NY Times, is your doctor aware of your wishes? Included in the complete estate plan our firm provides […]
Read moreMy son goes to college in Arizona. A disturbing precedent is being set there, where a group of siblings are having a court battle over their mother’s estate… while she’s still alive! Family members fighting over inheritance is a sad situation, but not unusual. In fact, it probably happens more often than you may think; […]
Read moreWe just celebrated Presidents’ Day this week. Unfortunately when President Abraham Lincoln passed away on April 15, 1865 he left his family at the mercy of the state laws of inheritance and succession—because he died without a will. It is hard to imagine how Lincoln could have neglected this; after all, he was a statesman […]
Read moreIs the budget too tight to pay for an expensive estate plan right now? Why not do it yourself? How hard could it be? Actually, it can be very hard—hard on your wallet when it costs you thousands of dollars to fix the mistakes in the plan you made; and especially hard on your heirs […]
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