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What to Do When a Spouse Dies

Unfortunately, during the grieving process surviving spouses also need to navigate the complex financial issues that arise after the death of their partner.

Posted on: May 25, 2023

Do Heirs Have to Pay Debts from an Estate?

First, debts in a person’s estate are payable from the decedent’s assets in the course of administering their probate estate or administering their living trust estate.

Posted on: May 23, 2023

Use Estate Planning to Prepare for Cognitive Decline

Data from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau shows in no uncertain terms that the U.S. population has grown older over the prior two decades.

Posted on: May 18, 2023

Estate Planning for Blended Families

There are many different configurations of blended families. However, they are generally made up of married couples who have children from previous marriages or relationships.

Posted on: May 16, 2023

Will Making a Gift Conflict with Medicaid?

People usually make gifts for three reasons—because they enjoy giving gifts, because they want to protect assets, or minimize tax liability. However, gifting in one’s elder years can have expensive and unintended consequences, as reported in the article “IRS standards for gifting differ from Medicaid” from The News-Enterprise. The IRS gift tax becomes expensive, if […]

Posted on: May 15, 2023

Protecting Assets with a Trust vs. Limited Liability Company

To protect assets effectively, you have to store them in the right legal entity. However, that can depend on whether you’re looking to protect business assets, avoid estate taxes, or protect personal assets from legal liability while running a business.

Posted on: May 12, 2023

Protect Cryptocurrency in Your Estate Plan

Cryptocurrency has become a new wrinkle in the development of an estate plan.

Posted on: May 11, 2023

Caring for Your Aging Mom

Mom’s aging. And the faithful caregiver who has been there for you throughout your life may now be starting to show signs of aging like forgetfulness or anxiety over making big decisions. If dad's passed away or unable to help care for mom, sooner than later, whether she wants to admit it or not, she […]

Posted on: May 9, 2023

Revocable Trusts Must Be Funded to Make Estate Plan Work

The primary benefits of revocable trusts only are available if a revocable trust is FUNDED during life. Unfortunately, experienced estate planning attorneys often have clients who delay the funding of their revocable trusts until it is too late and miss many of the benefits that these trusts provide.

Posted on: May 4, 2023