Why, What and When You Need Estate Planning

The modern process of estate planning begins with you making an inventory of all of your assets and creating a will. Often a trust is established to help minimize the tax burden that may be left along with your assets to your heirs.

Is Estate Planning for Everyone?

Is it necessary to have an estate plan?

The Contingency Lawyer Wants Your Assets!

On why asset protection is vital to protect your assets from opportunists aided by contingency lawyers.

Do You Really Need A Will?

A will is a document in which a person declares what they want done with their property at the time of death. This is an overview of common misconceptions about a last will and testament.

Estate Planning and Your Pets

You have diligently outlined what should become of your children in the event of your death or disability. You’ve planned your estate, appointed guardians and possibly even shared your estate plan with family members and trusted caretakers. But doesn’t something feel as if it’s missing? Perhaps you need to plan provisions for what should become of your pets once you are no longer able to care for them.

Asset Protection - Who Needs to Protect Their Assets?

America has often been referred to as a litigious society, meaning that we are prone to engaging in lawsuits for even the most frivolous of offenses. Because of this, it is important to stay vigilant about protecting your assets.

Estate Planning – Protecting Your Will's Integrity

Over views modern day techniques (evidence) one can present to the courts that uphold the decisions the testator dictates in their written last will and testament.

Estate Planning - The Mortgage: To Pay or Not To Pay

Over views the advantages and/or disadvantages of paying off a property loan in the modern day.

Estate Plans and Trusts Discussed

We all know that we need to have our lives in order in the event of our demise because our families are so important to us. As the Death Tax slowing dies over the next many years, it behooves all of us to have estate plans and trusts set up to shield our assets from legal liabilities which can pop-up out of nowhere and also to pay the least amount of taxes to the government after we die.

How Can An Estate Plan Help Me?

Do you know how your life will be divided after your death? Who will your estate go to? Who will look after your children? With an estate plan you decide. You are in control of your family’s security in the event that something tragic should happen.

Estate Planning ... Not Just For The Wealthy

You've worked hard, accumulated assets, and been diligent in saving for a comfortable retirement. Now it is important to implement a plan to protect those assets in the event something were to happen to you.

Why Estate Planning Is a Woman's Issue

In a nation consumed with wealth-building, it's easy to forget that earning money is only half the financial security battle. Equally important is protecting our hard-won financial security with a well-designed estate plan. For women, the importance of planning is paramount, because most often women must cope when loved ones become disabled or die.

Probate and Estate Sales

Probate and estate sales usually occur when someone wealthy dies. Estate sales have to be conducted because the decedent did not leave a will and everything is in his name.

The Australian Family Trust Explained

In Australia, a Family Trust (often called a discretionary trust) is set up to hold a family's assets or to conduct a family business. Generally, they are established for asset protection or tax purposes. Christopher Balmford from Cleardocs gives us an overview of how a family trust works and how to set one up.

Durable Powers of Attorney

One of our greatest frustrations as elder law attorneys is not being able to help families implement strategies that would qualify their loved one for Medicaid and protect family assets because a power of attorney is insufficient to allow us to do what we need to do. Therefore, we thought it would be beneficial to address durable powers of attorney in this issue.