Few things can derail your estate plan as quickly as unanticipated long-term care (LTC) expenses. Most people will need some form of LTC — such as a nursing home or an assisted living facility stay — at some point in their lives. And the cost of this care is steep. Contrary to popular belief, LTC […]Continue reading

Estate planning isn’t just about sharing wealth with the younger generation. For many people, it’s equally important to share one’s values and to encourage their children or other heirs to lead responsible, productive and fulfilling lives. One tool for achieving this goal is an incentive trust, which conditions distributions on certain behaviours or achievements that […]Continue reading

Not only is April 15 the deadline to file a 2023 income tax return and pay any taxes due, it’s also the deadline to file a gift tax return. If you made substantial gifts of wealth to family members in 2023, you may have to file a gift tax return. It’s due by April 15 […]Continue reading

New Orleans Probate Lawyer As a top probate lawyer in New Orleans, LA knows, the estate planning process can be highly involved and sophisticated, with many legal requirements. One area of estate planning that is important to have a basic understanding of is the probate process. Probate, or succession, occurs when an individual dies, and […]Continue reading

When creating or revising your estate plan, it’s important to take into account all of your loved ones. Because each family has its own unique set of circumstances, there are a variety of trusts and other vehicles available to specifically address most families’ estate planning objectives. Special needs trusts (SNTs), also called “supplemental needs trusts,” […]Continue reading

Typically, an estate plan includes accommodations for your spouse, children, grandchildren and even future generations. But some members of the family can be overlooked, such as your parents or in-laws. Yet the older generation may also need your financial assistance. How can you best handle the financial affairs of parents in the later stages of […]Continue reading

Most people are happy to receive an inheritance. But there may be situations when you might not want one. You can use a qualified disclaimer to refuse a bequest from a loved one. Doing so will cause the asset to bypass your estate and go to the next beneficiary in line. Let’s take a closer […]Continue reading

Creating and adhering to an estate plan is no simple task. Generally, the end goal of estate planning is to divide up and transfer assets to loved ones at minimal or zero tax cost. Of course, a will is a good starting point, but it may be supplemented by various other estate planning techniques, including […]Continue reading