Attorney for Wills and Trusts
Different people have different estate planning needs, and there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. With that said, estate planning generally begins with the creation of a will and a trust. This is foundational, and it’s something that should happen before any other estate planning actions are taken. While it is possible to draft these key […]
Irrevocable Trust Taxes
One of the primary goals of estate planning is to preserve the value of your estate—ensuring that the assets you leave behind retain their full value as they are passed down to your beneficiaries. A key component of this is tax planning. Simply put, you don’t want your estate to be whittled away by taxes. […]
Revocable Living Trust Agreement
Estate planning is ultimately about preparing for the future—making sure your assets, your life, and your legacy are protected against all contingencies. Proper estate planning calls for a number of different legal structures and tools, and one of the most important—yet also one of the most frequently overlooked—is the revocable living trust agreement. In this […]
Why Your Estate Plan Needs a Trust
We often meet with individuals who have gone to the trouble of establishing a last will and testament—and they assume this is all they need for their estate plan to be set. Actually, while having a will is an important start, it’s rarely sufficient. More often than not, it’s also wise to establish a trust, […]
Choosing a Trustee for Your Trust Fund
In setting up a trust fund, one of the most important decisions you will make is who will serve as the trustee. The trustee you name will play a key role in administering your trust, and after you die the trustee will be tasked with ensuring assets are distributed according to your wishes. Even the […]
Should You Serve as a Trustee?
It’s an honor when your friend or family member asks you to serve as their trustee. What that means is that they are entrusting you to properly handle key assets upon their death—suggesting that they view you as someone who is trustworthy and responsible. With that said, serving as a trustee isn’t something you should […]
Innocent Mistakes That Can Foil Your Estate Plan
As general advice, we’d say it’s always best to establish an estate plan early in life; that way, you can work out any wrinkles and avoid having any surprise estate planning mistakes down the road. Even these “early adopters” can face issues, however, sometimes due to perfectly innocent mistakes. It’s important to take care of […]
10 Simple Steps to a Foolproof Estate Plan
Many individuals never think about how their possessions will be distributed once they die—perhaps because they simply lack knowledge about how estate planning is supposed to work. In this post, we’ll provide 10 simple steps you can use for creating an estate plan—and while these steps don’t cover every possible contingency, they will certainly provide […]
Estate Planning for New Parents
Estate planning is all about preparing for the future—and that means more than just ensuring your finances are in order. It means being certain that the people you love and care for will be fully supported, even if you die unexpectedly. For new parents, there are some obvious implications here. Simply put, if you’ve had […]
Ask Your Attorney for Help with Understanding Living Trusts
Estate planning is about much more than just having a will. A number of other legal structures and tools can be used to help you protect your legacy—and one of the most common is the living trust. While certainly not the be-all-and-end-all of estate planning, a living trust can help cover some of the basics. […]
