“Fancy estate plan binders hide weak contents” should be a mantra for estate planning lawyers and their clients. We have heard clients praise the appearance of leather estate plan binders; especially binders embossed with gold lettering, Unfortunately, most of those clients pay dearly for weak estate plan is that did not address their issues adequately, […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] They say that the road to destruction is paved with good intentions. The saying fits procrastinators that intend to make or update estate plans involving turbulent families, but never get around to making updated plans. An estate plan procrastinator can create even more destruction by […]

Retirement plans, annuities, and life insurance policies are great tools to accumulate and protect wealth for some people. However, all investments require some attention to details regarding beneficiary designations and ownership choices. None of these tools fits everyone and some tools can be inappropriate for some people. A knowledgeable estate planning attorney uses these financial […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act) today. The ABLE Act says that its purpose is to: (1) To encourage and assist individuals and families in saving private funds for the purpose of supporting individuals with disabilities to maintain health, independence, and quality […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] We think about gift-giving during the holidays, but many people miss  opportunities to give taxable dollars to their favorite tax-exempt churches, colleges, and poverty relief organizations. An entire segment to estate planning is dedicated to the process of helping people give money to charities and […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Many people who think of “probate” or an “estate” think of heirs arguing over a deceased person’s wealth. Thankfully, most estates are not contested and they lack Hollywood-style drama. Estate disputes usually involve unclearly worded wills or inconsistent statements about estate plan intentions from the […]