General Blog
How Should I Communicate My Wishes About My Funeral And Burial To My Family? Many people have very specific wishes about what they want their funeral to be like and what they want to happen to their body after they die. A very common misconception is that those wishes should be included in your will. Putting your funeral plans and…Read More
How Can I Prepare For Creating An Estate Plan? For most people, a trip to their attorney’s office is as about as welcome as a root canal. We get it. We know you would rather be doing almost anything else with your time. So, we’ve put together this list of four items you should bring to your first estate planning…Read More
My Spouse And I Maintain Assets Approaching The Federal Estate Tax Threshold. Should We Look Into Transferring Our Assets To Trust? Currently, the federal government may impose an estate tax on transferred assets of $5.43 million per individual, or $10.86 million per couple, with a top taxation rate of 40 percent. For higher net-worth couples, a 40 percent tax rate…Read More
If a loved one has been diagnosed with dementia, it makes proper estate planning more important and it also raises issues of whether the person has the ability to make his or her own planning decisions. Only people who have legal capacity to sign legal documents can do so. Legal capacity is the level of judgment and decision-making ability needed…Read More
Many businesses have customer lists that they consider their own private property. It is common, however, for sales representatives and other employees to regard customer lists as theirs too, something they can take to a new employer. Employment agreements, confidentiality agreements, non-competes, and non-solicitation agreements can all be used to eliminate confusion over whether a customer list is transferable or…Read More
“I just need a simple will.” It’s a phrase estate planning attorneys hear practically every other day. From the client’s perspective, there’s no reason to do anything complicated, especially if it might lead to higher legal fees. Unfortunately, what may appear to be a “simple” estate is all too often rife with complications that, if not addressed during the planning…Read More
A family feud over an inheritance is not a game and there is no prize package at the end of the show. Rather, disputes over who gets your property after your death can drag on for years and deplete your entire estate. When most people are preparing their estate plans, they execute wills and living trusts that focus on minimizing taxes…Read More
With such similar sounding names, many Americans mistake Medicare and Medicaid programs for one another, or presume the programs are as similar as their names. While both are government-run programs, there are many important differences. Medicare provides senior citizens, the disabled and the blind with medical benefits. Medicaid, on the other hand, provides healthcare benefits for those with little to no income.…Read More
Preparing for the future is an uncertain business, but there are steps you can take during your lifetime to simplify matters for your loved ones after you pass, and to ensure your final wishes are carried out. Planning for what happens to your property, or who cares for your family members, upon your death can be a complicated process. To…Read More
When planning your estate, you must consider how you hold title to your real and personal property. The title and your designated beneficiaries will control how your real estate, bank accounts, retirement accounts, vehicles and investments are distributed upon your death, regardless of whether there is a will or trust in place and potentially with a result that you never…Read More
Will I Be Penalized This Year If I Do Not Have Health Insurance? Tax season can always be stressful, and now the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) add another element to be considered. This year's tax season is the first time filers will be asked to provide basic information about their health care coverage. The ACA, or Obamacare…Read More