One of the most simple, direct, and efficient ways to reduce the taxable value of your estate is by giving tax-free gifts to your heirs. “Tax-free” is the operable phrase here, and there is in fact a gift tax in place to prevent people from giving away all of their assets while they are still […]

Estate planning on the one hand involves protecting your assets from erosion and making sure that you have the financial resources that you need to comfortably enjoy the latter stages of your life. This is the aspect that your estate planning attorney can assist you with, but there is an extremely personal side to it […]

It is a long row to hoe when you first take out a traditional mortgage, with most people committed to making monthly payments for thirty years as they slowly build equity. Once you have made that last payment all of the equity is finally yours, and that is certainly a good feeling indeed. At that […]

One of the issues that has been a frequent topic of discussion over the last several years in elder law circles is that of elder financial abuse. The statistics that are available on the subject only tell part of the tale, but a MetLife Mature Market Institute report estimates that some $2.6 billion is lost […]

One of the biggest factors to consider when you are planning your estate is the estate tax, and there is some huge news to report about changes to the law that were passed just before the new year. To understand the impact of this new legislation you have to digest the back story. The estate […]

For many people, the process of estate planning includes making preparations for the latter stages of life, and there are a number of things to take into consideration. One of these is the possibility of incapacitation, and when you look at the statistics you can plainly see why planning for it is prudent. When you […]

Victoria Collier just completed an excellent 3 day seminar on Veterans Administration beneifts available for our veterans.  Sadly, she announced that this will be her last.  I was fortunate enough to have attended her first VA seminar in 2008, at her final one in 2011. 

During the estate planning process it is important to evaluate the net worth of your estate to determine if your estate may owe federal estate taxes after you pass away. In 2010, there is no federal estate tax, but in 2011 it is expected to return at the exemption level of one million dollars. While […]

If you have a Last Will and Testament, it is important to understand on what grounds an heir or disinherited beneficiary could declare your document to be invalid. When you are aware of the reasons a Will may be contested, it is easier to avoid successful challenges. Who Can Contest Any heir-at-law or any beneficiary […]

If you have a life insurance policy, there are three different ways that you can bestow your policy upon your family. You can directly designate a beneficiary as the recipient, assign your Revocable Living Trust as beneficiary, or name your Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) as heir. Protect Your Funds If you want to protect […]