Estate Planning
Same-Sex Couples Need Estate Planning, Too
Since same-sex marriage became legal throughout the United States in 2015 with the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodge, many same-sex couples have realized that they can benefit from estate planning. Making decisions about the disposition of your accumulated wealth and property, providing power of attorney for critical decisions, and stating end-of-life health care…
Read MoreUpdate Your Estate Plan Annually
As your life changes, so should your estate plan. At the Trusts and Estates Law Group, we advise family planning clients to revisit their estate plan every year to ensure that life has not passed it by. Whether you have experienced a significant life event such as the birth of a baby, change of marital…
Read MoreUnmarried Couples and Estate Planning: Does It Make Sense?
Sometimes we are asked whether a couple that lives together — an unmarried couple — needs estate planning. Our answer is an emphatic “Yes.” There are protections married couples have that unmarried couples do not, which makes estate planning more important in many ways for unmarried couples. Whether they are a younger couple not ready…
Read MoreA Relatively New Task for Executors: Digital Footprint
It is hard enough to deal with a home filled with a lifetime of possessions! Now add to that the executor’s newest responsibility: their loved one’s digital footprint. Executors today are facing a relatively new task: managing online accounts, photos, posts and more that comprise an individual’s digital footprint. According to an article in The…
Read MoreWhen Roles are Reversed: Helping Aging Parents
As parents age, their adult children shift into the role of caretakers, making sure their housing, medical, financial and legal needs are being properly handled. It’s never a happy scenario when an independent parent becomes unable to live on their own and needs their adult children to become involved with their day-to-day life. There are…
Read MoreWhen Should You Start on Your Estate Plan? How About Right Now?
No matter how old (or young!) you are, no matter the size of your estate, or how far away retirement is, you need an estate plan. Life happens, often unexpectedly, and an estate plan protects you and your family. One of the reasons for an estate plan is to provide detailed instructions to your spouse…
Read MoreLas Vegas Gunman Had No Will and a Sizeable Estate
With no children and family members who want to see his assets go to victims, figuring out how to handle the estate of the man who murdered and maimed concert goers will take some time to figure out. Stephen Paddock died with no will and an estate worth an estimated $5 million. Newsweek’s recent story,…
Read MoreIncreasing Bitcoin Prices Driving Digital Currency Holders to Estate Planning
Traditionally, clients start on their estate plan before the birth of a child or a new marriage. Rising prices in cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, are introducing a new generation to estate planning. As even small holdings have grown in value, it is increasingly important for digital currency owners to have an estate plan. There are complexities…
Read MoreThe Toughest Conversation You’ll Ever Have
It’s the topic none of us want to think about, but talking with your children and loved ones about your end-of-life wishes can be one of the more important conversations. In some families, it’s easier to talk about sex than it is to talk about money, while in other families it’s the opposite. But few…
Read MoreOlder Parents Face Different Estate and Financial Planning Needs
Wealthy celebrities may not have to worry about the financial side of welcoming babies in their senior years, but estate planning and retirement lifestyles for regular people need to be considered. Older parents or couples, where one member is significantly older than the other, need to address their estate planning and asset division differently than…
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