3 Critical Considerations For How To Save For Your Child’s (or Grandchild’s) College Education – Part 2
If you have started to save for your child or grandchild’s college education, it’s worth considering whether to use a 529 plan, an education savings account, or an irrevocable trust. Last week, in part one of this series, we discussed 529 plans and education savings...
3 Critical Considerations For How To Save For Your Child’s (or Grandchild’s) College Education—Part 1
If you have started to save for your child or grandchild’s college education, it’s worth considering whether to use a 529 plan, an education savings account, or an Irrevocable Trust. Here’s what we think you should consider as you decide: First, consider whether you...
4 Essential Strategies For Protecting Your Family’s Assets
You might think that only the super wealthy need to worry about asset protection planning. But the truth is that if you don’t have millions, you may be at even greater risk. For instance, if you are a multi-millionaire, a $50,000 judgment against you might not be that...
Protect Your Family From Wealth’s Dark Side With a Lifetime Asset Protection Trust
When you create your estate plan, the idea that one of your adult children would ever use their inheritance to bankroll a cult is probably something you’d never dream of, much less anticipate. A lifetime asset protection trust may not be at the top of your mind. Yet...
Estate Planning For A Child With Special Needs: What Parents Need To Know
Estate planning is an obvious concern for all parents, but if you have a child with special needs, it’s crucial that you are aware of the unique considerations that go into planning for a child who may be dependent on you at some level for their lifetime. If your...
If You’ve Been Asked To Serve As Trustee, Here’s What You Should Know
If a family member or friend has asked you to serve as trustee for their trust either during their life, or upon their death, it’s a big honor—this means they consider you among the most honest, reliable, and responsible people they know. That said, serving as a...
Don’t Let Your Kids Leave Home Without Signing These 3 Documents
As we head into summer, many parents will see their children graduate high school and prepare to leave home to attend college or pursue other life goals. This can be an exciting and emotional time, and with so much going on, estate planning for your kids probably...
How Naming Guardians For Your Kids In Your Will Can Leave Them At Risk
If you are a mom or dad with children under the age of 18 at home, your number-one estate planning priority should be naming guardians by selecting and legally documenting both long and short-term guardians for your kids. Guardians are the people legally named to care...
Probate: What It Is & How To Avoid It—Part 2
Unless you’ve created an estate plan that works to keep your family out of court, when you die (or become incapacitated) many of your assets must go through probate before those assets can be distributed to your heirs. Like most court proceedings, probate can be...
Probate: What It Is & How To Avoid It—Part 1
Unless you’ve created a proper estate plan, when you die many of your assets must first pass through the court process known as probate before those assets can be distributed to your heirs. Like most court proceedings, probate can be time-consuming, costly, and open...
Protect Your Home, Family, & Assets From The Growing Threat Of Natural Disasters
Over just the last two years, we’ve seen historic levels of damage caused by natural disasters in the U.S. From blizzards in Texas and wildfires in California to hurricanes in Louisiana and tornados in the Midwest, few regions of the country are immune to such...
Don’t Leave Your Children With The Babysitter Until You Read This
As we head into the third year of the pandemic, we are coming to terms with just how fragile our lives and health really are. If you haven’t gotten sick yourself, it’s almost certain you know someone who has, and many of us even know of one or more individuals who...
Why Putting Your Family Home In A Trust Is A Smart Move—Part 2
If you are like many homeowners, your home is likely your family’s most valuable and treasured asset. In light of this, you want to plan wisely to ensure your home will pass to your heirs in the most efficient and safe manner possible when you die or in the event you...
Why Putting Your Family Home In A Trust Is A Smart Move—Part 1
If you are like many homeowners, your home is likely your family’s most valuable and treasured asset. In light of this, you want to plan wisely to ensure your home will pass to your heirs in the most efficient and safe manner possible when you die or in the event you...
5 Steps For Adding Digital Assets To Your Estate Plan
Although digital technology has made many aspects of our lives much easier and more convenient, it has also created some unique challenges when it comes to estate planning.If you haven’t planned properly, for example, just locating and accessing all of your digital...
Lifetime Asset Protection Trusts: Airtight Asset Protection For Your Child’s Inheritance—Part 2
If you’re planning to leave your children an inheritance of any amount, you likely want to do everything you can to protect what you leave behind from being lost or squandered.While most lawyers will advise you to distribute the assets you’re leaving to your kids...
Lifetime Asset Protection Trusts: Airtight Asset Protection For Your Child’s Inheritance—Part 1
As a parent, you’re likely hoping to leave your children an inheritance. In fact, doing so may be one of the motivating factors driving your life’s work. But without taking the proper precautions and asset protection, the wealth you pass on is at serious risk of being...
With Tax Laws in Flux: What Should You Do Now?
On September 13, 2021, Democrats in the House of Representatives released a new $3.5 trillion proposed spending plan that includes a wide array of changes to federal tax laws. Specifically, the Democrats proposed a number of significant tax increases and other changes...
The Pitfalls of DIY Wills: Lessons Learned from a Florida Probate Case
DIY wills are becoming more prevalent as legal services can now be accessed easily online. For better or worse, more and more people are turning to online services to meet their legal needs, maybe even you. Here’s what you need to know before you decide to create a...
ANNE HECHE DIES WITH CONFLICT AROUND HER WILL, LEAVING HER SONS & ESTATE IN LEGAL LIMBO—PART 2
Actress Anne Heche died this August following a tragic car accident, leaving behind two young sons: Homer Heche Laffoon, age 20, and Atlas Heche Tupper, age 13. Last week, in part one, we covered the way uncertainty around Heche’s estate plan is creating...
House Democrats Propose Sweeping New Changes To Tax Laws That Stand To Have Major Impact On Estate Planning
On September 13, 2021, Democrats in the House of Representatives released a new $3.5 trillion proposed spending plan that includes a wide array of changes to federal tax laws. Specifically, the Democrats have proposed a number of significant tax increases and other...
ANNE HECHE DIES WITH CONFLICT AROUND HER WILL, LEAVING HER SONS & ESTATE IN LEGAL LIMBO—PART 1
Actress Anne Heche died this August following a tragic car accident in which she plowed her vehicle into a West Los Angeles home, where it burst into flames. After being pulled from the wreckage, the Emmy Award-winning actress was hospitalized in critical condition,...
Protect Your Aging Loved Ones From Undue Influence
Following the death of a loved one, close family members are sometimes surprised to learn that they didn’t receive the inheritance they were expecting, and that the deceased instead left most of their estate to an individual they only recently met, who wasn’t even a...
Protect Your Children’s Inheritance With A Lifetime Asset Protection Trust
As a parent, you’re likely hoping to leave your children an inheritance. In fact, doing so may be one of the primary factors motivating your life’s work. But without taking the proper precautions, the wealth you pass on is at serious risk of being accidentally lost or...