When I meet with families after a loved one dies, I often run into a recurring problem… the failure to revise/update beneficiary...

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen people make over the years is... leaving assets directly to a minor, disabled or spendthrift child...

I say it all the time, trying my best to spread the word that having a Last Will and Testament DOES NOT allow your family to avoid the...

In my last blog post, I talked about the two big questions we ask (and answer) when preparing an estate plan: · What happens to...

There are two fundamental, over-arching questions we answer when preparing an estate plan. The first question – what happens to my things...

Imagine this - you’re eighteen, it’s your senior year in high school, and you’ve just received a pile of cash from a distant relative...

I often meet people who, when they learn I’m an estate attorney, tell me: "I don’t need a trust to avoid probate. All I really own is my...

Over the years, I’ve heard so many different reasons (excuses) why people don’t have an estate plan: "I don’t have much, so I don’t need...

“I was getting along in age, and I’d heard about the difficulty others had getting their assets to their family when they died. So, I had...

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, most people over 65 will eventually need help with daily living tasks,...

Mistake #1: Doing nothing because you think planning for death means you’ll die sooner. Truth/Solution: Everyone dies, but some have...

Fairly often, I meet with an adult child who’s attempting to help their aging parent with some financial or medical issue… for example,...

Congratulations, you have a Last Will and Testament! You’re feeling pretty good about yourself, aren’t you? I mean, after all, you’re one...

Having a blended family comes with some challenges, one of which is ensuring a surviving spouse has enough to live on while also...

True story - a few years ago, I consulted with a client who’d used an online website to prepare her estate plan. She then got the...

As you probably know, I often write about the “horror stories” resulting from the failure to properly plan…. the estranged son who shows...

There are a number of reasons to consider creating a Trust rather than just a Last Will and Testament. For one, and this is generally the...

Most people like to spend money, don’t they? Buying new and expensive things is fun and gives us an adrenaline rush. In fact, did you...

Did you know that, since the days of ancient Greece, men and women used written documents called last wills to transfer their assets to...

Occasionally, I’ll consult with a new client (or possibly the family of a decedent) who had a trust created years ago. When the trust was...