Recent Articles
Your Unintended Heir – The State
In an age of unprecedented possibilities for social communication and human connectedness, it is almost impossible to image anyone leaving this world without a single person to belong to. Not a family member, not an old friend, not even a familiar neighbor. But, as sad as this predicament may seem, it happens- and it… Read More »
I Love Vacations
I really cherish and look forward to vacations. Whether it’s a quick day trip or an extended journey, I always try to forget about the work awaiting my return. When the time to return home inevitably rolls around, I’m usually still smiling, however, because I truly enjoy the work I do. I recall reading… Read More »
Left Out, By Accident or Design?
The law presumes under most circumstances that the natural heirs of a person are his or her spouse and children. When an estate plans fails to provide for a spouse or a child, under certain circumstances the law mandates that the omitted spouse or child is nonetheless entitled to a share of the estate…. Read More »
The No Contest Clause
Good estate planning attorneys always try to reduce or eliminate family discord through proper estate planning. A common estate planning tool to discourage disputes and litigation over an estate plan is the “no-contest” clause. In the past, a typical no-contest clause might have simply read “if anyone contests this will (or trust, as the… Read More »
Blessed Are The Peacemakers
“I don’t care if the lawyers and the courts end up with all of the money. I just don’t want her to get a penny of it.” This is the type of statement I’ve heard several times in a dispute over an inheritance. Usually both parties are gearing up for a fight and neither… Read More »
Death, the Great Equalizer
The death of Michael Jackson (“MJ”) was big news. Like many of you, I was shocked and saddened by his death and spent a lot of time watching and reading media reports about him, his family and his legacy. Even though MJ and his contributions to music will go down in history, his death… Read More »
The Rich Fool
The Biblical parable found in Luke 12:16-21 tells the story of a rich man who was blessed with a great harvest. The man decided to keep all of his riches for himself, retire and “eat, drink and be merry” for the rest of his days. However, that very night God told him that it… Read More »
Anatomical Gifts
This article focuses on a type of charitable gift everyone is capable of making, regardless of the size of their estate. This type of gift is known as an anatomical gift – the giving of either your entire body after your death for medical research and education or certain body parts for transplant to… Read More »
Giving is Good
Many of my clients wish to make charitable gifts as part of their estate plan. It is common for individuals to leave a share of their estate to their favorite charity, alma mater, fraternal organization or church. If you are considering making a gift to an organization as part of your estate plan, you… Read More »
A Timely Death
Timing is everything, even in death. In terms of death taxes, the year 2010 was a good year to die because persons dying in 2010 passed their entire estate to their heirs free of death taxes. For those dying in 2011 and for the foreseeable future, $5 million can be passed to heirs free… Read More »