The responsibilities of settling an estate are complex and fraught with emotion. There are ways to make the process both simpler and less taxing to heirs.
estate planning lawyer
In With the Old
There have been many changes in estate planning law, in technology, and in the law. Some principles of estate planning, though, never change.
Life-and-Death Estate Planning
Estate planning must include planning for incapacity, in order to assure that your affairs can be handled in the event illness or injury prevents you from handling those yourself.
Steps for a Surviving Spouse
Collecting and managing an estate can involve much more than immediate errands and tasks, but there are certain things a surviiving spouse must do right away..
A Few Far-From-Usual Estate Planning Directives
Some highly unusual celebrity wills and estate plans….
Annual Giving – a Methodical Approach to Estate Planning
Annual gifts represent a way to plan one’s estate methodically.
In Naming Guardians, Think of the What-Ifs
For parents, an essential part of estate planning involves naming a guardian for minor children. While a guardian can be anyone who is at least 18 years who is not currently incarcerated and who is of sound mind, parents' choices of guardian can mean the difference...
It’s the Decisions, Not the Documents
While estate planning certainly involves the drafting of documents, the important part is the thinking about the best course of action to benefit our family members, ourselves, and the causes we hold dear.
Generational Opportunity for Only a Few; a Wake-up Call for Many
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act had doubled the amount for paying estate tax. Now that advantage is dur to expire in 2025, dramatically reducing the tax exemption. While only high not clients will be directly affected, all clients need to review their estate and tax planning.
Weighing Estate Planning Decisions on an Importance Scale
Estate planning is about decisions, not about documents, and decisions are weighted on a scale of importance in each situation..