Category Archives: Estate Planning-General
Emancipation and Estate Planning
February is the month when our country takes time to remember and celebrate Black History. We give honor to our great ancestors and rejoice about how far we’ve come. In parades, poems, church services and school performances, the nation commends the leaps and bounds we have traveled and the heroes who have guided us… Read More »
And the Award Goes To…
I love movies, especially a good drama or “tear-jerker”. Sometimes the most fascinating ones are those that are based on true stories. In my practice I have seen quite a bit of drama and tear-jerkers as a result of the lack of estate planning. Academy Award season starts me to thinking about which of… Read More »
The Art of Giving
When designating the distribution of an estate to beneficiaries, there are basically two levels of gifting. The first tier of gifts is known as “specific gifts”. The second tier is known as “the residue”. Specific gifts are those items that are particularly described and set apart for a particular beneficiary. The item can be… Read More »
It Happened to Me!
It all started when my husband asked me for the key to our china cabinet. I was immediately suspicious of his motives since he never had anything to do with the china cabinet. That was my territory. When entertaining I use the dishes, glasses and other serve ware stored in the china cabinet. I… Read More »
Estate Planning Affects Everyone
Whether it’s your own estate plan or someone else’s, sooner or later everyone is affected by estate planning. The effect may be positive, such as a windfall received from a wealthy relative, or negative, such as having your reputation tarnished because you left your affairs in a state of chaos. Whether from the media… Read More »
Who’s Got the Will?
In times past, it was common for attorneys who created wills to keep the original document. Upon being notified of a death of the testator (the person making the will), the attorney would call all of the beneficiaries and heirs of the deceased person into his or her office and read the will with… Read More »
Double Trouble
When it comes to decision making, some decisions may come out better if made by more than one person on the premise that “two heads are better than one”. On the other hand, if two or more people have equal authority over a matter and they don’t get along well or have different objectives,… Read More »
Insure, Protect and Maintain Your Estate Plan
I am what some might call a “shopaholic” and over the last several decades I have accumulated a bunch of stuff. I sometimes wonder what it would be like not to have to be concerned with the responsibility of having so much because anything you have of value requires a lot from you. You… Read More »
Letters of Instruction
Estate plans should be “evergreen”. In other words, they should be living documents that can be changed and/or updated at any time so they are always a current reflection of one’s personal situation and preferences. When I prepare estate plans, I always include two forms that can be completed by the client at a… Read More »
Fast Money in Hard Times
At some point in our lives, most of us will experience times when we urgently need money – to fund a medical emergency or necessary procedure, to stay afloat after the loss of a job, to fly cross-country for that special occasion … the list goes on and on. Hopefully, when times like these… Read More »