Estate Planning Attorney

If you thought retirement was all fun and games, think again! Penalties for missing deadlines, failing to take distributions in a timely manner and other mistakes, can have a big impact on retirement finances. Taxes are just one of the unexpected elements that can pop up and put your retirement finances at risk. According to…

Once your estate plan is done, or reviewed, if several years have elapsed since it was created, the next document you should create is an Estate Directory. Families are vulnerable when a loved one dies. It can be difficult to make decisions, old family tensions may resurface and sibling rivalries erupt into no-holds-barred battles. The…

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s mistakes cost at least $12 million in estate taxes. Some estate planning mistakes made by the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman turned out to be costly. His estate planning mistakes were not marrying the mother of his three children and not working with an estate planning attorney, according to a Kiplinger in…

Sometimes it’s easier to wrap your head around the idea of selling a business, when you see how the exit plan for a business must, by necessity, be a part of estate planning. This often helps owners more fully understand the process and move forward. As described in Wilmington Insights’ article, “Which Comes First –…

It doesn’t matter how old you are—you need to have an estate plan. It’s part of being a responsible adult. One reason to have an estate plan is to articulate how you want your possessions, including real estate, investment accounts and personal effects, to be distributed after you die. But that’s not limited to people…

Merging lives also means merging finances, and a pre-nuptial agreement can be used as a roadmap to define and guide the process. The right tone can make all the difference. Planning a wedding? Today’s bride and groom are busy with the details, from selecting a photographer to writing vows and meeting with the caterer. It…

If a trust is created in one state, but the beneficiaries live in another state and the couple who originally created the trust move to a third state, is the trust still valid? In summary, the general answer is yes. Trusts are governed by the laws of the state where they are established, but as…

A Special Needs Trust is just the beginning in planning for the needs of a special needs individual, particularly as parents age. There are several steps that can be taken to ensure quality of life. Many special needs individuals are able to live independently and have fulfilling jobs. Parents often use special needs trusts to…

Distributing assets is only one part of an estate plan’s purpose. The other is to provide clear direction to family members concerning aspects of aging, including illness and end-of-life decisions. The word “estate” may bring to mind a large home on a sweeping piece of property, but it also refers to any person’s possessions—including regular…