The recently deceased continue to exist on paper, and this may be the case for some time. Meanwhile, many bankable facts — key among them your Social Security number and personally identifiable information — are just sort of there in the form of “zombie” purchasing power. An identity thief can use that purchasing power to […]

Just five days after Breen was shot, attorneys working for Kacie Breen filed a motion in state district court in Covington to appoint an attorney to try to find Wayne Breen’s will. The court appointed Alan Black to search for the will. Five days after that, a different attorney filed a motion to disqualify the […]

If you are the spouse that handles the finances, take my advice seriously. Don’t frustrate yourself and cause your spouse unneeded stress. Do both of you a favor by finding a professional you trust and instructing them to guide your surviving spouse through the process once you’re gone. Does your family know what to do […]

Democratic Rep. Linda Sanchez offered a baffling defense of the death tax Wednesday during a hearing examining the sometimes unbearable burden it places on family farms and businesses. People receiving food stamps have to pass drug tests or meet work requirements to receive taxpayer dollars, Sanchez reasoned, so it’s only fair that those “lucky” enough […]

The estate tax laws differ for U.S. citizens vs. non-U.S. citizens. When there is a large estate, this could mean a hefty estate tax liability for a surviving non-U.S. citizen spouse. So, what exactly is the estate tax difference between a U.S. citizen surviving spouse and a non-citizen surviving spouse? When a surviving spouse is […]

In order to make sound financial decisions, you must have a good understanding of the rules. Receiving an inheritance is one of those situations you may have to make decisions that could impact your future finances. If you inherit a Roth IRA, the options you have are similar to that of a traditional IRA, however, there […]

A ‘black widow’ who married a man on his death bed just eight days before he died has been jailed for stealing his granddaughter’s inheritance. Being the administrator of an estate comes with great responsibility. Who would you choose to handle your own estate? Can they be trusted to do as you wish? Eight days […]

Here are some developments in trust law that led to irrevocable trusts being not exactly irrevocable. Is an irrevocable trust truly unchangeable? In the past, it almost certainly was. But this irrevocability led to problems when the circumstances that existed when the trust was created changed greatly and made the trust less than ideal. Lawyers […]

Siblings can be our closest family members. But when it comes to litigation over family property or money, genetics can fall by the wayside and siblings can quickly become our biggest adversaries. Do these song lyrics hold true about siblings? Hey brother! There’s an endless road to rediscover Hey sister! Know the water’s sweet but […]

Liquidating a relative’s estate is one of the most personal ordeals, yet it is becoming increasingly common, people in the industry say. As the population ages, the estate sale business is booming. Estate administrators and those who inherit estates can take advantage of an estate sale to get rid of tangible property that is not […]