Cinderella’s real parents were not bad people;they simply failed to properly plan, explains California attorney Ahmed Shakh. And proper planning for stepchildren has to involve estate planning attorneys,Shakh points out. After all, state legislatures and the Federal...
“King Lear’s tragedy can teach us about estate planning,” observes California attorney Ralph Hughes. The estate planning lesson Hughes suggests we need to keep in mind is simply this: You won’t always be master of your kingdom. But these are your assets. Shouldn’t you...
It’s been almost twenty years since attorney Larry Inlow was killed by a helicopter blade, but the disputes about his estate went on for fourteen years, all the way to the Indiana Supreme Court. Anyone who’s put off creating a will needs to hear the Inlow story again....
“Dividing a home among siblings takes planning and cooperation,” cautions Caroline E. Mayer, writing in the AARP Bulletin. Mayer recounts the 17-year family rift created among Olivia Boyce-Abel and her three siblings when their mother died, leaving an old family...
Social Security benefits are typically seen as a source of retirement money for workers, but children, grandchildren, spouses caring for children, and parents of deceased workers may also qualify for Social Security aid, explains Paul Norr, writing in Financial...
Most people tend to delay taxes as long as possible, but this can backfire when it comes to IRAs, Eileen Ambrose, writing in the AARP Bulletin, points out. For retirees in their 60s, Required Minimum Distributions haven’t yet kicked in, plus the disbursements are...
“Estate sale companies simplify what can be a tough time for many, whether it’s downsizing, disability, or death in the family,” Fox 59 reports. When someone has died, the administration of an estate requires that debts and expenses be paid first, with the...
A spendthrift provision creates an irrevocable trust preventing creditors from attaching the interest of the beneficiary in the trust before that interest (cash or property) is actually distributed to him or her. You’re working with your estate planning attorney,...
An observation we find ourselves making all too often at Geyer Law is that Veteran’s Benefits are among the most misunderstood and underutilized resources. Our firm’s focus is with the Veteran’s Benefits Administration, one of three areas within the Department of...
When it comes to administering an estate, the same common sense rule applies as when the testator (the one who has passed away) was still alive: a person must first attend to his own debts and expenses before he or she can give away what is left, observes Alexander...
