Resources

The recently concluded, largely do-nothing 113thCongress managed to pass two bills with great significance for special needs families.  The first, the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, helps people with disabilities save for health-care costs, housing, lifelong education, and other … [Read more...] about Congress Acts to Benefit Special Needs Families

Will substitutes are legal instruments that transfer property to beneficiaries at the donor's death without benefit of the probate process.  Probate is the court-supervised procedure to legally transfer ownership of estate assets to beneficiaries, whether named in a will or passed on according to … [Read more...] about Will Substitutes

According to Merriam Webster Online, a fiduciary is a person in a position of authority whom the law obligates to act solely on behalf of the person he or she represents and in good faith. Examples of fiduciaries are agents, executors, trustees, guardians and officers of corporations. Unlike people … [Read more...] about Corporate Fiduciaries

The experts will say that cremation isn’t a “final” disposition because the ashes could still be buried.  However, the choice most people make is between cremation and burial with a casket.  When cremation is the choice, the world opens up to decide what to do with the ashes!  On the mantel in an … [Read more...] about Final Disposition: Cremation or Burial?

Contemplating discussing your estate planning with your children or siblings? There are lots of issues, and many disincentives to having those discussions, starting with facing one’s own mortality.  Matters open to discussion break down into a few categories, and it is helpful to lay them out so … [Read more...] about Having a Family Estate Planning Discussion

What Should Happen to the Online Accounts, Frequent Flyer Miles and Reward Points? A good estate plan takes into consideration "digital assets", the online banking and investment accounts, credit card reward points, frequent flyer airline miles, photos stored online, email, social media accounts … [Read more...] about Digital Assets 2014 Update

At its most essential, estate planning covers distribution of your world goods, whether owned in your own name or jointly with someone else.  Estate planning also allows you to designate the people who should make financial and health care decisions on your behalf if you are not able to.  Injury, … [Read more...] about The Basic Estate Plan

After the will or trust has been signed, there’s still some more work to do to complete estate planning.  Assets that pass by beneficiary designation, such as life insurance and retirement accounts, should be reviewed to insure that the correct beneficiaries have been named. With the decline of … [Read more...] about Planning with Retirement Benefits

"Funding" a trust means transferring assets into the name of the trust. … [Read more...] about How To Fund a Trust

Have you been named as an executor in someone’s Will?  Have you thought about what steps you will need to take as executor after your loved one has died? The executor is charged with “marshaling the assets of the estate”, securing everything that the decedent owned so that it can be inventoried … [Read more...] about Duties of an Executor