With longer life spans comes the necessity to be sure your money is around at least as long as you are. Longevity insurance – where you pay a certain sum to an insurer when you’re in your 60s in exchange for monthly payments 20 or more years down the road – is a lesser known […]
Read MoreWhile most parents have the inclination to treat all their children equally when it comes to an inheritance, Personal Family Lawyers® know that this is not always the wise choice. Here are some scenarios when an unequal distribution may be better: Children of unequal wealth – If you have one child that is a successful […]
Read MoreBalancing the needs of a multi-generational blended family with your own wishes can be a complicated task, especially when it comes to estate planning. With a majority of Americans not only marrying once, but twice, three or even four times during their lives, it is a challenge that will come to many. Even when blended […]
Read MoreWhat will happen to estate taxes in 2013? Right now, you may as well try to predict what the weather will be on Jan. 1 than count on new laws from a contentious Congress still debating the scenarios. The estate and gift tax exemptions that were set by the 2010 Tax Act are the most […]
Read MoreThere is no doubt we are a nation of pet lovers. Unfortunately, the law as it is currently written views pets as property, so providing for your pet in your will won’t work. So how do you protect your favorite fur-person? With a pet trust. To create a pet trust, you should first discuss your […]
Read MoreYou could be unintentionally reducing your family’s wealth potential if you do not properly designate the beneficiaries of your IRAs. Improper estate planning could mean that your IRA assets could pass to the wrong people or entities, so how you execute your beneficiary designations is critically important. Here are some of the steps that need […]
Read MoreThere are a number of essential things a last will and testament can do for you, such as distribute family heirlooms and name a guardian for minor children, but there are some equally important things a will won’t do: Diminish estate taxes – a will won’t help you decrease your estate taxes, but a Personal […]
Read MoreAs a Personal Family Lawyer®, I see many of the same estate planning mistakes made time and again by people who either fail to plan properly or who use “do-it-yourself” estate planning websites or forms in an effort to save money. Without professional guidance, this can cause more problems for your heirs and end up […]
Read MoreA child’s wedding day is one of the happiest occasions in life for most parents, especially when they approve wholeheartedly of that child’s choice of mate. Sometimes, however, the choice is not always welcomed and parents become concerned about how to protect assets they plan to leave their children in case of a divorce. Fortunately, […]
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