If you have a blended family and do not plan for what happens to your assets in the event death, you are almost certainly guaranteeing hurt feelings, conflict, and maybe even a long, drawn-out court battle. So let’s start by clarifying what a blended family is and whether you have one. If you have [...]
The Estate Planning Updates Your MUST Make In the first part of this series, we discussed a few of the most critical updates you must make to your estate plan if you’re getting divorced. Here, we’ll cover the last three of these must-do planning tasks before you finalize your divorce. Because getting divorced can [...]
The Importance of Updating Your Will When Divorce is Imminent Divorce can be traumatic for the whole family. Even if the process is amicable, it involves many tough decisions, legal hassles, and painful emotions that can drag out over several months, or even years. That said, while you probably don’t want to add [...]
How an Estate Planning Attorney Brings Your Parents' Legacy Full Circle In a recent Facebook post “Processes to go through with your parents before they die,” Daniel Schmachtenberger, founder of the Critical Path Institute, outlined seven simple exercises to use with your parents that can offer significant healing and completion for their life [...]
Talking to Your Parents and Kids About Money In many families, money still is not an accepted or typical dinner table discussion. Surprisingly, this is especially true when it comes to affluent parents. We hope to change the conversation, because one of the most important things you can do is talk to your kids [...]
Ensure Care for Your Animals With a Pet Trust If you have pets, my guess is that you love them as much as you do your children. However, I’m also guessing that you have not provided any written or, better yet, legally documented instructions about what should happen to them if you become incapacitated or [...]
Will Your Family Receive the Trusted Estate Planning Help it Needs? Since Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, survives him (and it’s been widely reported that they married without a prenuptial agreement), it is most likely that she will inherit everything. And due to the “spousal exemption,” those assets will pass to her tax free. Yet despite [...]
Kobe Bryant’s Untimely Death Highlights the Vital Need for Estate Planning at All Ages. You have likely already heard that on January 26, 2020, basketball legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles, California. Also killed in the tragic accident was his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers, who were [...]
Our clients often ask us where to keep their important documents, such as estate planning documents (wills, trusts, and powers of appointment), insurance policies, contracts, and other important financial documents. The answer to this question often depends on how quickly you need to gain access to such documents. For instance, without the requisite power [...]
The holidays are quickly approaching and many of you will have a chance to see your parents and, for some of you, your grandparents. This would be an excellent opportunity to discuss your parents’ future and estate planning needs among the loved ones. Yet, discussing the retirement plans and estate planning needs with your [...]
