Desert Law Group Blog

• Posted in: Long Term Care Insurance

When it comes to shopping for long-term-care insurance, it’s buyer beware. The costs of long-term-care can be astronomical and would quickly wipe out one’s savings.  Many boomers are looking to buy long-term-care insurance to cover that risk. But many are finding out that they didn’t really understand what they had […]

• Posted in: Estate Taxes

The top tax bracket for the federal estate tax is currently at 40 percent. This might seem high, but as a recent article points out, very few people actually pay this tax. Most estates are entirely exempt from estate tax. There is a $5,340,000 exemption from federal estate tax, meaning […]

• Posted in: Beneficiary Designation

Some of your assets cannot be passed on to your heirs through your Last Will and Testament. Instead, some assets are passed on to a beneficiary who you designate under the terms of the agreement with the financial institution. For example, bank accounts, brokerage accounts, retirement plans, annuities and life […]

• Posted in: Current Affairs

Even though the Federal government is currently shut down, as this country moves toward the changes brought forth by the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, you should beware of the potential for the theft of your personal information. Remember, whenever a natural disaster or tragedy occurs or a new […]

• Posted in: Estate Planning

As estate planning attorneys, we are often asked, “When should I do my estate plan?” The answer is: “Anyone who is over the age of 18.” Estate planning is critical to everyday living for adults over the age of 18, and should be one of the priorities regardless of your […]

• Posted in: Estate Planning

In an ever-increasing paperless world, it is becoming more important to create a plan for your survivors to follow when navigating your online financial accounts. Prior to the digitalization of financial records, when a loved one passed on, organizing financial records was a fairly straight forward process consisting of gathering […]

• Posted in: Estate Planning

When the U.S. Supreme Court handed down their ruling last Wednesday, striking section 3 from the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional, the Court radically changed the estate planning laws for many same-sex married couples. Not only are marriages of same-sex couples is now recognized as legal under federal […]

• Posted in: Estate Planning

There are many estate planning considerations that parents need to make. Although grim, parents need to consider and plan for the possibility that one or both parents may suddenly become unable to care for their minor children. A recent article discusses some of the estate planning considerations that parents should […]

• Posted in: Estate Planning

When planning your estate, it is important to remember that communication with your loved ones and friends is vital to the success of your plan. A recent article discusses how best to can start an estate planning conversation. Schedule the conversation: By scheduling a time to speak about your estate […]

• Posted in: Domestic Partners

Domestic partners, even ones registered with a state, do not share the same rights as married couples. Therefore, domestic partners need to be extra careful when crafting their estate plans. A recent article describes several common pitfalls to avoid in domestic partner estate planning. The first pitfall occurs in gifting […]