Estate Planning · July 22, 2022

Despite the fact that it happens to every single one of us and is every bit as natural as birth, very few among us are properly prepared for death—whether our own death or the death of a loved one. Yet the pandemic might be changing this. As anyone who has personally dealt with loss knows, when a loved one dies, those who are left behind face major challenges, not only emotional and logistical but financially as well.

Estate Planning · July 01, 2022

These days, more and more young people are delaying—if not totally foregoing—a life that involves marriage and parenting. The lack of jobs, crushing student debt, multiple recessions, and the pandemic have pushed many young people into a life path that leaves little room for getting married—and even less room for having children. If you're single with no children, you might think there's no need to worry about creating an estate plan. But this is a huge mistake.

Estate Planning · June 24, 2022

Smaller items, like family heirlooms and keepsakes, which may not have a high dollar value, frequently have the most sentimental value for our family members. But for some reason, these personal possessions are often not specifically accounted for in wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents. To ensure your heirlooms and keepsakes don’t create unnecessary conflicts among your heirs, ensure that your estate plan includes all of your assets, especially your family heirlooms and keepsakes.

Estate Planning · April 08, 2022

In today's highly litigious society, you are at near-constant risk for costly lawsuits—even if you've done nothing wrong. This is especially true if you have substantial wealth, but even those with relatively few assets. No matter how careful and responsible you may be, accidents happen all the time, and no one is immune to the threat of a potentially devastating lawsuit. For this reason, you should consider adding a maximum level of protection by investing in umbrella insurance.

Estate Planning · February 18, 2022

Divorce can be one of life's most stressful events. With so many major changes taking place, it's easy to forget to update your estate plan—or simply put it off until it's too late. After all, dealing yet with another lawyer is probably the last thing you want to do. However, neglecting to update your estate plan for divorce can have tragic consequences. And you shouldn't wait until the divorce is final to rework your plan—you should update it as soon as you realize the split is inevitable.

Estate Planning · December 24, 2021

While both wills and trusts are the most commonly used estate planning vehicles to pass on wealth and other assets to your loved ones, putting your home in a trust has several distinct benefits compared to using a will. However, each family's circumstances are different. This is why your Personal Family Lawyer® will not create any documents until we know what you need and what will be the most affordable solution for you and your family—now and in the future—based on your family's conditions.

Estate Planning · October 29, 2021

Estate planning is not a one-and-done type of deal. Even if you put a totally solid estate plan in place, it can turn out to be worthless for the people you love if it's not regularly updated. No matter who you are, your life will inevitably change, and your plan should continuously evolve along with your life circumstances and other changing conditions. In the absence of any major life events, we recommend reviewing your estate plan annually to ensure its terms are up to date.

Estate Planning · October 22, 2021

If you have children from a previous marriage, and you become incapacitated or die, leaving everything to your new spouse or partner, there is almost certain to be some conflict (whether spoken or not) between your children and new spouse. You can avoid all of this (and even use the estate planning process to build stronger bonds with those you love) by having clear planning in place that has been discussed with your children and your new spouse or partner.

Estate Planning · October 08, 2021

With the new proposed legislation that is still under consideration and far from being finalized, if your family stands to be impacted by any of the new proposed bills, it's vital for you to take action as soon as possible to ensure that whatever changes to your planning that need to be made can be planned and executed before the year's end. If you've been following the news about the coming changes, you know that none of us know what will ultimately happen or even when we will know the outcome.

Business · October 05, 2021

Democrats in the House of Representatives released a new $3.5 trillion proposed spending plan that includes a wide array of changes to federal tax law (increase in personal and capital gains tax rates, etc.). Yet, the proposed law is still under consideration and far from being finalized. If your business or personal finances stand to be impacted by any of these changes, you must act quickly to ensure that whatever actions need to be taken can be planned and executed before the end of the year.