Recent Blog Posts
How to Get Organized to Meet With Your Estate Planning Attorney
OK, great! You’ve finally decided it’s time to meet with an estate planning attorney and get your affairs in order. It’s time to make sure your family is protected. Now that you’ve scheduled the first appointment, what’s the next step? You can do one of two things: (1) Simply wait for the meeting date… Read More »
Estate Planning Basics for Newlyweds – How to Get Prepared for the Unexpected
It’s that time of year – the time for beautiful weddings, fun receptions, delicious cakes, special gifts, and romantic honeymoons. While this is a joyous time for everyone, especially newlyweds, it’s also time for you and your new spouse to plan for your future – for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in… Read More »
It’s Not Just About Death and Taxes: The Essential Legal Documents You Need for Incapacity Planning
Comprehensive estate planning is about more than your legacy after death, avoiding probate, and saving on taxes. It must also be about having a plan in place to manage your affairs if you become mentally incapacitated during your lifetime. What Happens Without an Incapacity Plan? Without a comprehensive incapacity plan in place, a… Read More »
Warning: Don’t Let Creditors Inherit From You
3 Options Available To Surviving Spouses for an Inherited IRA Shocking to most people, the retirement account you leave for your spouse can be seized in a divorce, lawsuit, or bankruptcy. When your surviving spouse receives the inherited IRA, he or she generally has three options: Cash out the inherited IRA and pay… Read More »
Irrevocable Trust vs. Revocable Trust: Which Is Best for You?
Trusts allow you to avoid probate, minimize taxes, provide organization, maintain control, and provide for yourself and your heirs. In its most simple terms, a trust is a book of instructions wherein you tell your people what to do, when. While there are many types of trusts, the major distinction between trusts is whether… Read More »
Landmark Case: U.S. Supreme Court Rules Inherited IRAs are Not Protected from Creditors
On June 12, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court—in a unanimous decision—ruled that Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) inherited by anyone other than a spouse are not retirement funds and therefore are not protected from the beneficiary’s creditors in bankruptcy. The reasoning is, because the beneficiary cannot make additional contributions or delay distributions until retirement, it… Read More »
Decanting: How to Fix a Trust That Isn’t Getting Better With Age
While many wines get better with age, the same cannot be said for some irrevocable trusts. Maybe you’re the beneficiary of trust created by your great grandfather over seventy years ago and that trust no longer makes sense. Or, maybe you created an irrevocable trust over twenty years ago and it no longer makes… Read More »
Listen Up: These States Will Usher in Changes to Their Death Taxes in 2016
In 2015, there are still 20 U.S. jurisdictions that collect a death tax at the state level: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington. Even if you don’t live in one of these states, the… Read More »
Wills, Trusts & Dying Intestate: How They Differ
Most people understand that having some sort of an estate plan is, as Martha Stewart would say, a “good thing.” However, many of us don’t take the steps to get that estate plan in place because we don’t understand the nuances between wills and trusts – and dying without either. Here’s what will generally… Read More »
Wills vs. Trusts: A Quick & Simple Reference Guide
Confused about the differences between wills and trusts? If so, you’re not alone. While it’s always wise to contact experts like us, it’s also important to understand the basics. Here’s a quick and simple reference guide: What Revocable Living Trusts Can Do – That Wills Can’t Avoid a conservatorship and guardianship. A revocable living… Read More »
