Obviously, the property-specific aspects of estate planning are very important. Thoughtful and knowing use of wills, trusts, lifetime gifts and charitable bequests will serve to protect your legacy and pass as much of your assets as possible down to your...
In this day and age, in addition to having a “real life,” anyone who regularly takes advantage of the internet also has a separate but sometimes almost equally important digital community. For example, thanks to advances in electronic communication,...
The Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that approximately 60 percent of adults over 65 have advance medical directives. While it is a good idea for all adults to have these documents, what happens if they cannot be accessed quickly? A California pilot project is a...
Whether you are considering who to appoint as a trustee or you have recently accepted an appointment, you need to know what the role entails. The basics are to manage, preserve and administer assets on behalf of another person. In some cases, it may make sense to...
Medical aid in dying will soon be a compassionate end-of-life option for terminally ill Coloradans. The initiative – known as proposition 106 – was approved by approximately 65 percent of state voters.Oregon was the first to pass a similar measure in 1997....
As the quality of life around the globe has risen, so has the overall life expectancy. Average Americans are routinely living to 80, 90, even 100 years of age. This is due in no small part to medical and technological advances like: Access to preventative health care...
A tragic accident leaves a young boy without a father. His father had been the most stable figure in his life for some time. What happens now? Inertia and worries about the cost of an estate plan keep many unmarried parents from putting a plan in writing. This leaves...
Even with the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision and myriad state-level initiatives that recognized the validity of same-sex marriage, many of these couples still find themselves facing unique challenges where legal matters are concerned. For example, there are many...
The election coverage was missing an important commentator. Then news came at the beginning of this week, PBS NewsHour co-anchor Gwen Ifill had died from complications associated with cancer. Many learned the news through Facebook.Lately, the news of a death spreads...
A business is not static. A merger with another company or increase in value as business booms or land prices skyrocket should be a time to review a succession plan. While a child who is a part of the company may have been at the table, other siblings may not...
