People often have questions about Estate Planning. This is the second in a series of articles addressing those questions. This second article addresses “what” Estate Planning comprises. Read on to learn more.The Questions of Estate Planning, Part 2 … [Read more...]
The Questions of Estate Planning, Part 4: Where
People often have questions about Estate Planning. This is the fourth in a series of articles addressing those questions. This fourth article addresses the “where” of Estate Planning. Read on to learn more.The Questions of Estate Planning, Part 4: Where … [Read more...]
The Questions of Estate Planning, Part 3: When
People often have questions about Estate Planning. This is the third in a series of articles addressing those questions. This third article addresses “when” to do Estate Planning. Read on to learn more.The Questions of Estate Planning, Part 3: When … [Read more...]
The Questions of Estate Planning, Part I: Who
People often have questions on Estate Planning. This is the first in a series of articles addressing those questions. This first article addresses “who” should do Estate Planning. Read on to learn more.The Questions of Estate Planning, Part I: Who … [Read more...]
Inheritance Balancing for Family Business Owners
You should discuss your unique personal situation with an estate planning attorney to gain insight into the options that are available to you. Unfortunately, there are people that conform to constraints that they apply to themselves unnecessarily because they are not aware of alternative approaches.With the above in mind, in this post, we will look at a widely embraced solution for small business owners that face inheritance balancing situations.Keeping It FairTo explain by way of … [Read more...]
Estate Planning Demystified
People all too often put estate planning on the back burner because they view it as some type of huge, complicated endeavor that seems intimidating.It is true that arranging for the transfer of everything that you have accumulated throughout your life to the people that you love the most is a profound action. However, when you understand the basic structure, this seemingly gargantuan proposition shrinks down to size.With this in mind, let’s look at the basic framework of a typical estate … [Read more...]
Four Reasons to Engage an Estate Planning Attorney
There are companies on the Internet that sell downloads and worksheets that you can use to create legal documents, including estate planning devices like last wills. This can make it seem like you really don’t need a lawyer to plan your estate.Is this true? Since we are in the profession, you may assume that we cannot answer this question objectively, but you don’t have to take our word for it.Several years ago, three legal professors that were enlisted by the magazine and website … [Read more...]
Is Joint Tenancy a Good Estate Planning Solution?
It is said that a little bit of information is a dangerous thing, or something to that effect. This definitely enters the picture in the field of estate planning, because people often hear bits and pieces of information that contain shreds of truth.However, they do not understand the big picture. As a result, they sometimes take important actions that come around to bite them in the future. The decision to use joint tenancy as an estate planning solution is one of them.Probate … [Read more...]
When Does a Living Trust Terminate?
A living trust as an estate planning tool that is the ideal choice for a wide range of people. Unfortunately, many individuals harbor some misconceptions about trusts, and one of them is the notion that you lose all control of assets that you convey into any type of trust.In reality, this is not the case at all, because there are two different classes of trusts. It is true that there are irrevocable trust that cannot be dissolved, and generally speaking, the terms cannot be changed although … [Read more...]
Don’t Forget a Letter of Final Instructions
When you plan your estate, there will be a legal document at the core that you use to state your wishes regarding the distribution of your monetary assets. For most people, it will be a last will, and there are others that use trusts of various kinds.Making your decisions known can seem like the long and short of it, but you should certainly take the estate administration process into account. If you use a will, you would name an executor to act as the trust administrator after you are … [Read more...]
