Tag Archives: Revocable Living Trust
What Is a Separate Revocable Living Trust?
When a couple engages in foundational estate planning, one of the first questions addressed by estate planning attorneys is whether it makes sense for the couple to use a revocable living trust (RLT) as a part of their plan. If using an RLT makes sense, an important follow-up question to married couples should be… Read More »
Estate Planning for Essential Workers: Finding The Right “Prescription”
To all front-line and “essential” workers: Thank you for all of your hard work – day in and day out (and often evenings, nights, and weekends). You tirelessly give of yourself to care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Whether you are caring for them in a hospital, therapy room,… Read More »
My Trust is Signed, No Probate for My Family Right?
Planning ahead has obvious benefits. Whether you’re planning a vacation or researching for a job interview, it’s always smart to outline your priorities and anticipate potential challenges that may arise. Planning your estate has similar benefits. With plans clearly established, your wealth and assets are protected should you pass away or become incapacitated. It’s… Read More »
9 Tax Prep Questions That Will Help Organize Your Estate Plan, Too
It’s the start of a new year, which can only mean one thing: time to start your tax prep. This tax season comes with dramatic changes to the Internal Revenue Code, and this year’s April 17th IRS filing deadline is just around the corner. Soon you’ll be receiving tax forms, such as your W-2… Read More »
Does My Estate Plan Need to Include My Vacation Property?
Yes! If you own a vacation property, timeshare, investment property, or any other asset outside of the state where you are domiciled, you must make sure it’s included in your estate plan. If you fail to include these in your estate plan, or fail to have an estate plan at all, your heirs will… Read More »
Lifetime Planning vs. Deathtime Planning (and why you need both)
There is a misconception among the general public that “estate planning” is only for the wealthy. According to a March 2017 survey by Caring.com, six out of ten Americans have no will or any other kind of estate plan in place. Many said they’d get around to it, eventually. When they’re old. (The survey… Read More »
Life Insurance and Estate Planning: Protecting Your Beneficiaries’ Interests
One misconception people have about life insurance is that naming life insurance beneficiaries is all you have to do to ensure the benefits of life insurance will be available for a surviving spouse, children, or other intended beneficiary. Life insurance is an important estate planning tool, but without certain protections in place, there’s no… Read More »
‘Till Death Do Us Part, Too: Estate Planning Tips for Commitment Without Marriage
Advice columnist Ann Landers once observed that “love is friendship that has caught fire.” If that’s true, there are thousands of ways for that blaze to unfold. For many Americans, such devotion and passion do not need to be neatly formalized as marriage. In fact, our cultural norms are shifting, and quickly. Consider… Read More »
3 Simple Ways to Avoid Probate Costs in Maryland
The bad news: not only does probate take forever, probated estates are subject to a variety of costs from attorneys, executors, appraisers, accountants, and courts. Depending on the complexity, probate costs in Maryland can run into tens of thousands of dollars. In Maryland, attorneys’ fees and executors’ fees are regulated by state statute; the final… 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 »
