Helpful Articles

Married couples and Registered Domestic Partners have options when creating revocable living trusts.  Each has pros and cons and understanding one’s priorities is important in choosing the best option. While there is no technical name for it, I call the first option the “I Love You Trust”.  At the...

Terminology is important, and when used incorrectly, it can cause confusion at best, real issues, at worst.  Understanding the correct terminology is important, both in the creation of an estate plan and in its administration.  My hope in this article is to provide my readers a better understanding...

Much of my practice is working with clients to create plans that will ensure their estates are distributed according to their desires in the most effective way possible.  This often leads to a discussion about how real property is titled and how that effects the overall plan. Joint Tenancy with...

As we head into the end of the year, I thought it might be a good time to review just why estate planning is so important for everyone. Estate planning is something most Americans avoid and often never get around to.  The excuses range from “Estate planning is too confusing” to “I don’t have anything...

Clients often ask me how their estate plan may be affected by estate taxes.  Currently, no Federal Estate Tax is imposed on estates under $11,580,000 (per person), affecting approximately 2,000 people (or 0.0006% of the population) in the U.S.  Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), enacted in December...

Most people are familiar with Powers of Attorney and how they work at a basic level.  However, these documents can have very important consequences to your overall estate plan and should be thoughtfully drafted. First, some important terminology to understand the different roles in a Power of Attorney. ...