Do you ever think about how many online accounts you have, how many places you have stored your photos or backed up some of your favorite videos? Do you consider these to be assets? You might have skipped out on the traditional estate planning process because you assume it doesn’t apply to you, but that […]

If you recently got remarried and you have joint ownership of your home and a joint bank account, you might suddenly discover that your new spouse is making payments toward unpaid taxes and credit card debt. Understanding how this affects your estate planning, as well as your life after this person, passes away is important.  […]

There are many different reasons that you should put together an estate plan, not the least of which is giving yourself peace of mind. Some other examples of reasons to put together a comprehensive estate planning include control over your assets, privacy, and protections for your family. But one other thing to consider has to […]

The loss of numerous celebrities over the past couple of years has given us important opportunities to think about the value of estate planning overall. You might assume that you are immune from the problems that could be associated with the traditional distribution of an estate because you don’t have assets or wealth of the […]

Probate assets and non-probate assets raise all kinds of questions for people approaching the estate planning process. It can be difficult to figure out which of your assets needs to proceed through the probate process and which could be passed down to your heirs outside of traditional probate.  A life insurance policy is one example […]

If you’ve already made an appointment to discuss your estate planning options, it’s possible that your estate planning attorney recommended that you have other professionals in your corner, such as a CPA or accountant or even a financial advisor. The truth is, much like estate planning professionals, not everyone thinks the same way about the […]

The death of a spouse can generate numerous challenges for the surviving person in terms of the familiar, estate and financial responsibilities.  This is particularly challenging for someone who must suddenly step into a leadership role in these areas of their life when those tasks were previously associated with the now-deceased spouse.  One of the most […]

Basic trusts and wills are value estate planning tools that essentially assure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes after you pass away.  If you do not have estate planning documents like this in place, you could make mistakes that could leave your heirs paying the price.  This also increases the chances that […]

Many people make regular deposits into their 401(k) plan, which is likely matched by an employer, but have you ever thought deeply about who is responsible for looking after that 401(k) plan?  This may be referred to as a fiduciary. There are a lot of stakes involved with the answers to these questions.  In order […]

Young entrepreneurs have a variety of different things on their plate, and many of them may be averse to estate planning because they are concerned with dealing with the day-to-day actions of running a business.  However, business succession planning, asset protection planning, and estate planning are all a critical component of owning a business.  Typical […]