Category: Inheritance
Should you give your heirs gifts now? Or wait? Ultimately, there’s no “right” answer. This is a personal choice. Scenario: You have decided to make gifts to your heirs, but you are stuck on the timeline of it all. Will you give now while you are still here? Or will you plan to leave the […]
In the case of Casey Kasem, no matter what happens, there are no winners here—everyone loses. Don’t let this happen to you. Plan and communicate! Celebrities make the news time and time again, and every so often we can all learn a lesson or two on their mishaps. A recent CNBC.com article, titled “What we […]
Today, families are trying to fight that deadening of talent with incentive trusts that aim to ensure the next generation doesn’t become a pack of trust-fund slackers. A trust with strings attached is referred to as an incentive trust. These types of trusts impose specific, objective conditions for distributions, and leave little room for discretion […]
While most people realize that estate plans should be created to help distribute physical property such as real estate or jewelry, there is a growing need to consider intangible property. The Internet is increasingly becoming the main storage of our financial lives. A recent survey from Pew Research revealed that 51% of American adults bank online, and […]
One surprising area in which scams are becoming more common is estate planning. Each year, more people fall victim to unscrupulous and unqualified sellers of ineffective estate planning documents. Often, these scammers are door-to-door salesmen or telemarketers. Scams are everywhere if you look close enough. And the field of estate planning is no exception. A […]
Knowing these objectives help both the couple and their estate planner determine what might be the best way to structure their estate plan. Planning for one’s estate takes careful thought and consideration. By adding another person to the mix through marriage, your goals or objectives will likely change. A recent Forbes article, titled “Eight Common […]
For many, the decision to remain single is a matter of money. A partner who remarries stands to lose alimony, Social Security or a survivor’s pension. Many cohabitating couples share assets and expenses informally. Attorneys are constantly on their unmarried clients to draw up agreements specifying which partner is responsible for expenses and who will inherit. These […]
The bill has been in the works for more than three years and has backing from the Delaware Bar Association. If approved, it would be the first comprehensive law of its kind. Seven other states grant different levels of access. Accessing a decedent’s email or other online accounts after his or her death can be […]
Today, with smaller families and more women choosing not to have children, “the dynamic has changed pretty significantly for the generation of baby boomers. The option of doing something charitably significant with their estates is a change. What you do with your estate is up to you. Sometimes that means passing it to your family. […]
If you are expecting an outright inheritance, you may need to think again. Expecting a sizeable inheritance? A recent Forbes article, titled “Why You May Not Get An Inheritance (And What To Do About It)“, provides some sound advice and thoughts to ponder. Good (and recent) financial decisions. Parents like to see a pattern of […]
