by Christine | Aug 25, 2015 | Beneficiary Designation, Estate Planning, Wills |
Laws that govern wills, trusts and estates are far too complex for wills to be do-it-yourself projects, but putting your wishes into an estate plan with a qualified estate planning attorney is one of the wisest financial planning moves you can make. Your heirs will...
by Christine | Aug 24, 2015 | Disinheritance, Estate Planning, Will Contest |
On September 25, a settlement conference in the battle between the widow of baseball legend Ernie Banks and his longtime caretaker will be held in an attempt to resolve divvying up his estate. This will be the first time that Elizabeth Banks and the caretaker, Regina...
by Christine | Aug 21, 2015 | Disinheritance, Estate Planning |
In most cases, as long as basic principles are followed, a person is entitled by law to leave whatever he or she wishes to their heirs. There are no requirements to leave assets to adult children, but a recent ruling in a London Court of Appeals may change this. When...
by Christine | Aug 20, 2015 | Estate Plan, Estate Planning, Wills |
The classic story of a vulnerable wealthy elderly person being influenced by a caretaker who seeks to enrich him or herself has been updated in a dispute between a disinherited brother and psychiatrist/girlfriend of a Texas woman who is alleged to have been...
by Christine | Aug 19, 2015 | Beneficiary Designation, Estate Planning, Retirement Planning |
For many Americans, the majority of non-real estate assets are their retirement accounts and life insurance policies. However, a large number of people forget to update their designated beneficiaries, which can lead to key assets going to unintended beneficiaries. An...
by Christine | Aug 18, 2015 | Estate Planning |
Most of us never look twice at the fine print of the frequent flier rewards program’s terms and conditions. The type is so small and there’s so much of it … but if you did, you’d probably see language stating that any accumulated points are not transferrable on death....
by Christine | Aug 17, 2015 | Beneficiary Designation, Estate Planning |
To the digerati – the elite of the technology world – Bitcoins are as valuable as the dollar or any other state-sponsored currency. But the rules are still under development for estate planning purposes, and planning for an estate that includes Bitcoins must...
by Christine | Aug 14, 2015 | Asset Protection, Elder Law, Estate Planning, GIfting, GRATs, Tax Planning, Trusts |
Some high-net worth families still face the challenge of reducing their estate to minimize or eliminate estate taxes, although the federal estate tax exclusion is currently larger than it has ever been. The portability of unused exclusion amounts are at $5.43 million...
by Christine | Aug 13, 2015 | Retirement Planning |
Savvy individuals, estate planning lawyers and financial advisors are not averse to finding unintended benefits when Congress makes changes to laws regarding retirement accounts and Social Security payments. Unfortunately, when too many of these techniques are...
by Christine | Aug 12, 2015 | Estate Planning |
A recent survey from CNBC.com shows that there are differences in how the wealthy perceive the need for estate planning, and not all millionaires behave the same way. There are differences between families at the $1 million – $5 million level and those...
