Category Archives: Trusts, Wills and Probate

Millennials: The Untapped Estate Planning Market

By | May 18, 2017

If you’re an employer, a parent, or both, then it will come as no surprise to you that Millennials are a little different than previous generations. Most don’t prioritize the same traditional values as your generation, or those of their parents and grandparents. The stereotypical Millennial is tech savvy, entrepreneurial, and socially conscious. On the downside, many people… Read More »

How can I properly navigate probate?

By | May 17, 2017

When your loved one passes away, it is a sad time where family is mourning the death, celebrating the life-lived, and planning according to the deceased person’s wishes. Typically, emotions are running high and tensions can run even higher if loved ones perceive they are being treated unfairly after the death.

What to Expect When Challenging a Will

By | April 18, 2017

A will is the document by which we carry out final decisions, but what happens if the integrity of that document is in doubt, or if descendants question the mental capacity of the maker of the will? These are tough questions that ultimately can lead to a will contest. A will challenge is the legal process by which… Read More »

When Can A Will Be Properly Contested?

By | December 27, 2011

Contesting a will can be a difficult decision – and it can have difficult consequences. Problems from inheritance have plagued mankind for millennia, and even in modern times, there are never any easy solutions for everyone. At some point, if a will is being contested, someone is going to end up unhappy. But it’s important to understand when… Read More »

How To Use Trusts to Avoid Estate Taxes

By | August 8, 2011

In modern parlance, a “trust” has the connotation of extreme wealth, of an upper-crust legal refinement that most people in the middle-class wouldn’t be able to enjoy. But in reality, a legal trust is a powerful tool available to any one of us that truly wants to set one up. The only question remaining is: why set up… Read More »

Ten Ways to Legally Reduce Your Estate Tax Burden

By | August 5, 2011

The estate tax is often a tax many people don’t worry about – that is, until they finally sit down and try to figure out how much they’ll be leaving behind. The federal estate tax can take around half of what you leave behind. That’s right: half. For many people, estate planning means circumventing this tax legally so… Read More »

What Most Americans Don’t Know About Estate Planning

By | August 3, 2011

In America, our culture can often be described as “impatient.” A flight that’s delayed ten minutes can feel like a lifetime of waiting. A text message that takes ten seconds longer to send will make you feel like your phone belongs in the stone age. And yet when it comes to taking action on estate planning, we suddenly… Read More »

A Guide to Differences Between Wills and Living Wills

By | August 1, 2011

Let’s be honest: when it comes to estate planning, a lot of people prefer the bliss of ignorance to the bliss of wisdom. Wills, to them, are complicated things, reminders of our own mortality and therefore something to be put off into the future. And when you introduce the concept of a Living Will, the complications make the… Read More »

How to Choose the Right Executor for Your Will

By | June 2, 2011

What is one of the most valuable social resources? Simple: trust. When you trust someone implicitly, it gives you an ally – someone who can take care of you when you’re sick or incapacitated in some way, for example. But there is more you can do when you trust someone implicitly especially when it comes to the legal… Read More »

The Importance of Beneficiary Designations

By | December 10, 2010

When was the last time your reviewed the beneficiary designation form from your retirement plan, IRA, life insurance policies or annuities?  If your answer is typical, you don’t remember. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision should motivate some people to move this overlooked step higher on their priority list.  This particular ruling involved a 401(k) plan, but it… Read More »