Many people share a common belief that probate should be avoided at all costs, so instead of hiring an attorney to come up with an estate plan they devise their own schemes. For example, most people know that if two people are on a real estate deed as joint tenants, when one person passes away the entire property automatically passes to the surviving joint tenant. As a result of this knowledge, ...
Parents of children with disabilities lost an important and influential advocate when Nina Eaton passed away on March 30th. An estate planning attorney can only do so much to help protect the interests of your special needs child. People like Eaton take up the slack and help provide a solid legal and cultural framework so that children born with disabilities lead rich and fulfilling lives. Eaton ...
If you have a blended family, it’s important that you have an estate planning attorney craft your estate plan rather than using a simple form Will to divide your assets based on percentages. Blended families are those that have children from multiple marriages and they have unique dynamics for which you should account in your estate plan. This will help avoid conflicts after you pass away. When ...
If you have young children, it is important that you name someone to be the guardian of the children in the event that you pass away. To do this, you need to make a Will. An estate planning attorney can help you make a Will . However, you need to choose an appropriate guardian. Here are a few tips. The most important thing is to pick someone who is responsible and willing to serve as guardian. You ...
If gifting is part of your overall estate plan, you may want to consider speaking with your attorney about the best way to do so this year and in future years. The law is subject to change in the future. In fact, President Obama has proposed lowering the exclusion limit for the gift tax starting in 2013. Currently, you can give up $5,120,000 during your lifetime without being subject to the gift ...
In most cases, it is a good idea to store your important estate plan documents in a secure safety deposit box at the bank. This protects your documents from loss or theft. However, if you leave your will in a safety deposit box, you need to make special arrangements with the bank. Even after you pass away, the bank will not let anyone else into your safety deposit box without a court order of some ...
If you have paid life insurance premiums for years, the last thing you want to happen is for the insurance company to receive a windfall after your death instead of paying out to your beneficiaries. However, if your beneficiaries do not know about the policy, they will not know to make a claim. For this reason, part of your estate plan should include some way of letting your beneficiaries know ...