For family business owners, an estate plan and a succession plan often work in tandem, ensuring that both personal and business affairs transition smoothly. Your estate plan can help ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes and provide contingencies in the event of your death or disability before retirement. Your succession plan […]Continue reading

Crisis Medicaid Planning is essentially emergency estate and asset protection work for individuals who are already in, or about to enter, a nursing home (or need long-term care at home) and who either have not done advance Medicaid planning or whose existing plan does not protect their assets from being rapidly depleted by care costs. […]Continue reading

Payable-on-death (POD) and transfer-on-death (TOD) accounts are attractive estate planning tools because they allow assets to pass directly to named beneficiaries without going through probate. This can save time, reduce administrative costs and provide your beneficiaries with quicker access to their inheritance. However, there are drawbacks to using these accounts. In some cases, they can […]Continue reading

As its name suggests, a living trust (also known as a revocable trust) is in effect while you’re alive. It’s a legal entity into which you title assets to be managed during your lifetime and after your death. As the trust’s grantor, you typically serve as the trustee and retain control over the assets during […]Continue reading

As the federal gift and estate tax exemption increases, the number of families affected by gift and estate tax liability decreases. With the passage of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), wealthy families now have greater certainty that the exemption amount will remain high and continue to increase in the future. The exemption had […]Continue reading

Including a letter of instruction in your estate plan is a simple yet powerful way to communicate your personal wishes to your family and executor outside of formal legal documents. While not legally binding, the letter can serve as a road map to help those managing your estate carry out your wishes with fewer questions […]Continue reading

There are numerous factors to consider when you decide to pull up roots and relocate to another state. Your estate plan likely isn’t top of mind, but it’s wise to review and update it when you move across state lines. Let’s take a closer look at a few areas you should consider as you reexamine […]Continue reading