In the United States, married individuals almost always receive assets from their spouses without paying estate tax. One exception is the often-overlooked law involving marriage between a citizen of the United States and a foreign national. If you find yourself in this situation, it can create a unique challenge during…
Trust protectors are becoming an increasingly common part of estate plans in New York as well as the rest of the country. A trust protector refers to someone who is appointed to look over a trust and make sure that the trust is not adversely affected by changes in the…
The Mississippi Court of Appeals recently decided that a man convicted of DUI manslaughter that led to the death of his wife can collect survivor benefits from the state. The late woman had designated her husband as a 40% beneficiary while the deceased woman’s sister was a 60% beneficiary. While…
After the devastation of accepting the loss of a loved one subsides, it can be challenging to determine how to best process. Unless you have navigated this process before, performing the various tasks asked of an executor can seem overwhelming. As a result, this article reviews some pieces of…
Following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, you and your loved one will end up facing a number of serious challenges. For one, there are a number of difficult emotions including fear and uncertainty about what the future holds. Second, there are a number of complex issues involving estate planning. …
There are few things as painful in life as the death of a spouse. In addition to weathering the devastating emotions like loneliness and sadness that accompany this process, it is still important to plan for your future as a widow or widower. Unfortunately in some situations, the surviving…
There are a number of common estate planning errors that we see people make. These errors occur in almost equal proportion among the wealthiest as well as individuals of modest means. In the hopes of making the estate planning process more efficient for everyone, this article reviews some of…
After creating an estate plan, you might think that you’ve made all of the steps necessary to plan for your future. Instead, it is just as important to make sure that estate planning documents are stored in a safe location. This article reviews some of the various options that…
As estate planning professionals, we encounter a number of situations and are very familiar with the most common types of estate planning errors that people make. No matter if these mistakes are the result of laziness or lack of care, errors in estate planning have the potential to create…
If you are a parent with a special needs trust, you likely understand how critical it is to prepare for the future. After all, these trusts make sure that a child continues to receive financial support in case you die or become incapacitated. These trusts are also particularly helpful because…