Browse Our Estate Planning Articles
Some of these articles have been written by our law firm and other articles are written by the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and compliments of our law firm. Any feedback or questions about the articles can be addressed by contacting our office.
There's No Time Like the Present to Review your Plans
Time passes quickly. Life brings change. While these may seem like platitudes, they reflect the truth of most people's lives. This article will encourage you to recognize a new life stage as an opportunity to review and fine tune your estate plan.
READ MORE 
Make Sure Your Dreams Don't Turn Into Nightmares
The financial consequences of a divorce can be costly. You can do things right now to protect future generations in your family from suffering financial devastation after a breakup.
READ MORE
Choose Your Estate Planning Practitioner Wisely
Who should you entrust with planning your estate? Unfortunately, the estate planning industry can be a mixed bag. Along with licensed, qualified attorneys there are unqualified, or even unlicensed, individuals producing cookie-cutter estate plans that may or may not work as intended. Find out why you should choose your estate planning practitioner wisely.
READ MORE
Look After Your Spouse Even After You're Gone
You and your spouse have worked hard to save for your golden years. But have you planned for a long, secure retirement if one of you outlives the other? Here’s how paying attention to certain key financial areas can set both of you up for a secure, worry-free retirement.
READ MORE
Don't be Fooled: Estate Planning Isn't Just for the Wealthy
Estate planning is not just for the wealthy. The truth is, estate planning is about achieving some pretty common goals and taking care of basic responsibilities, regardless of how big or small our investment portfolio happens to be.
READ MORE
Short and Sweet is Not Always Better
When you compare a do-it-yourself living trust with one that was prepared by a qualified estate planning attorney, one of the first things you’re likely to notice is that the attorney-prepared trust is long. And it might not be so easy to read. There’s a good reason for this. This article discusses the reasons why planning for contingencies with an attorney drafted estate plan is the better choice. When it comes to estate planning, there’s any number of contingencies to prepare for.
READ MORE
Practical Strategies for Protecting Your Privacy
We’re all exposed to invasions of our privacy, large and small, during our lifetimes and even after death. These practical strategies make it easier to shield your family’s personal affairs from prying eyes.
READ MORE
Puppy Love: Planning Your Estate With a Pet Trust
Increasingly, pet owners are not just worried about providing for our pets during our lifetimes, we want to ensure that they get all the love and care they need after we’re gone, too. This article discusses the estate planning benefits a Pet Trust can provide for your furry and feathered animal companions.
READ MORE
Estate Planning Without a Crystal Ball
When you are planning your estate, it is important to remember that circumstances rarely stay the same over long periods of time. A plan that worked for your family when the kids were little may very well be obsolete by the time they've started families of their own. This is why it's important to ensure that you build flexibility into your plan.
READ MORE
Planning Your Estate? Don't Forget Insurance
The term "estate planning" usually calls to mind the process of creating a Will, establishing a Living Trust, or naming a guardian for young children. One piece of the estate planning puzzle that might not be readily apparent, though, is insurance. Learn how insurance in its many forms plays an important role in the estate planning process.
READ MORE
Help! My Attorney No Longer Practices Law
It's not something we often stop to think about, but attorneys experience life changes like anyone else. They may change careers or experience an illness or disability, or they may retire or even pass away. This article discusses the steps you should take if your estate planning lawyer no longer practices law.
READ MORE
What to Expect When You're Inheriting
At some point in our lives, we all dream of receiving an inheritance. We envision buying a new car, finally being able to afford private schools for the kids, or maybe even taking a trip around the world. But the reality of inheriting money or property often differs from our dreams. The process of settling an estate and distributing a deceased person’s assets can be time consuming. During this process you may have questions about taxes on various types of assets you may be inheriting, such as IRAs, valuable collectibles, and other property. This article provides a summary on what you can expect during this process if you’re anticipating an inheritance.
READ MORE
Parenting Your Grandchildren? You Need a Solid Estate Plan
According to data collected in the 2010 census, 4.9 million children under age eighteen live in grandparent-headed households. If you are in this growing number of grandparents returning to your “parent” role again, one of the pressing responsibilities that accompany your job as caregiver is to make sure you have a plan for your grandchildren in the event that something happens to you. And because you’re older now than you were the first time around, planning becomes even more important. This article reviews why it is imperative to have an estate plan in place and what a basic plan should include.
READ MORE
One Big Happy Family: How to Avoid an Estate Dispute
Picture this… You’re at the end of your long, fulfilling life and you’re ready to say goodbye to your loved ones and leave this world in peace. And then… your family declares war on each other. This scenario plays out all too often even in the closest of families. This article examines helpful ways to plan and avoid divisive family disputes after you are gone.
READ MORE
Helping Your Parents Through Their Twilight Years
As a child, your parents were there to guide and support you as you faced life’s challenges and obstacles in your path growing up. Similarly, as your parents age, and become less independent, they will rely on you as they face new challenges in their twilight years. This article examines how planning well in advance is important to ensure that no matter what lies ahead, their care and financial affairs will be looked after. Regardless of their financial means, if they are wealthy or of more modest means, there is a plan that can meet the specific needs of your family.
READ MORE
Why are Roth's Such a Big Deal?
A Roth IRA has some important distinctions from a traditional IRA, and, depending on your tax bracket, your retirement needs, and your estate planning goals, a Roth could be a better choice for you. So, what's the difference between the two types of IRAs? This article explores how each IRA works and which option can best fit your personal needs and goals.
READ MORE
Planning Opportunities in a Down Market
Every dark cloud has a silver lining, including uncertain economic times. This article examines unique estate planning opportunities that are available during a down economy. Tax savings by converting an IRA to a Roth IRA at a lower value, and transferring shares in a family business at diminished asset values are two strategies reviewed.
READ MORE
A Trust Can Help Protect You from a Financial Crisis
This article examines how a trust can help expand the protection on your financial accounts, including those at banks, savings and loans, credit unions, and brokerages.
READ MORE
Everyone Needs a Periodic Checkup
This article examines how legal and life changes may make it a good idea to consult with your estate planning attorney to ensure that your estate plan continues to achieve your financial and estate planning goals.
READ MORE
The Silver Lining in Tough Economic Times
This article examines the current difficult economic times and how one estate planning strategy works better now than in better economic times.
READ MORE
The Top 10 Things to Know About Estate Planning
Many people are often confused by Estate Planning. Here is a list of the top things to know about Estate Planning.
READ MORE
Preparing for the Unthinkable
This article recites statistics regarding unexpected tragedies in the United States including heart attack, stroke, and auto accidents. It calls on the reader to establish a Legacy Wealth Plan to be prepared.
READ MORE
Three Myths Women Have About Estate Planning
This article looks at several myths women have about estate planning. It includes some statistics that show why estate planning has more impact on women.
READ MORE
To My Dog, Lucky, I Leave $10,000
The article examines the use of "pet trusts" and a few examples of how pets were provided for in the past.
READ MORE
Gifting to Children
This article examines gifting strategies for transfers in trust to minors. Specifically, it looks at Crummey trusts and 2503(c) trusts and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
READ MORE
What are the Odds
This article examines the need to plan for the unexpected. It gives statistics for the odds of disability and of death from various likely and unlikely causes. It shows the importance to plan for the one certainty in life, i.e., death.
READ MORE
Is a Power of Appointment the Same as a Power of Attorney?
The article examines a few legal terms that can be confused, like Power of Attorney, Attorney in Fact, and Power of Appointment. The article examines the terms and specifically, how Powers of Appointment can add flexibility to a plan.
READ MORE
Preparing for Health Needs
The article looks at the financial and legal ways to plan for illness. As part of the financial portion, the article examines the use of Health Savings Accounts. As part of the legal portion, it examines the use of health care powers of attorney and health care directives.
READ MORE
Win a FREE Estate Plan!
Trust mills mislead seniors and bilk them out of their retirement. The article compares practices of trust mills and those of legitimate, quality estate planning attorneys, and how to tell the difference.
READ MORE
Complete Asset List is Essential
A complete list of assets is necessary for financial planning and estate planning. Such a list also helps in the event of a loss.
READ MORE
Honest Discussion About Funerals
Pre-planned funerals may be the best way to go. It reduces friction and makes sure things happen the way you want. Further, it provides Medicaid planning opportunities.
READ MORE
