John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Life After Love Gone Wrong Podcast: Season 3, Episode 6 - Reshaping Your Legacy: Estate Planning After Your Divorce
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 13: It’s 5 o’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Will Is? A Lesson From Aretha Franklin
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Family Office Technology Solutions
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act
What is a self-proving affidavit?
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
Taking the Sting Out of Death Taxes with Dylan Metzner, Jones & Keller
Basics of Estate Planning
The Case of the Disappearing Trust
Protecting Your Estate Plan from Challenges: No-Contest Clause Explained
The Secret Child
Married couples often have wills naming one another as their primary beneficiary. People also often name their spouse as beneficiary of retirement accounts and life insurance policies. Upon commencing a divorce action,...more
On June 6, 2024, the Supreme Court held 9-to-0 in Connelly v. United States that company-owned life insurance increases the company’s fair market value for estate tax purposes, and the company’s obligation to redeem a...more
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Thomas A. Connelly et al. v. United States has significant implications for certain closely held business owners. The decision is important especially for those with, or planning to buy,...more
As a bit of background, there is a distinction between probate assets and non-probate assets. Probate assets are distributed according to your will during a probate administration whereas non-probate assets are distributed...more
A new Minnesota law comes into effect on August 1, 2024, which flags the importance of addressing insurance coverage within your estate plan, especially if your plan utilizes transfer on death deeds. A transfer on death deed...more
Trial attorney David Skidmore from Warner Norcross + Judd LLP’s Probate Litigation Practice Group, a subgroup of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, recently represented clients in a trial before the...more
Isn’t it interesting that success is built into business succession. Still, most US companies do not have a business succession plan in place. What is business succession planning and how does it enhance your own success and...more
What is the importance of succession planning for business owners? Why should you be concerned about the development and implementation of succession planning if you own a business or a significant interest in an LLC, S...more
What are the most important elements of estate and tax planning for US expatriates? Are you planning to move out of the United States? Are you a US taxpayer who lives and works outside of the country? What are some of the...more
There are two ways in which your assets pass upon your death: (1) by operation of law to designated beneficiaries (IRA, life Insurance, etc.), pursuant to an agreement (a living trust agreement) or as joint owners with rights...more
Split-dollar life insurance can serve a multitude of uses. In times of a tight and competitive hiring market, employers may consider split-dollar life insurance as one of many diverse strategies to attract and retain desired...more
Preparing for 2026 - Four ways to build flexibility into your estate plan - January 1, 2026, is a significant date for estate planning. On that day, the federal gift and estate tax exemption amount set by the Tax Cuts...more
A typical challenge encountered by estates of varying sizes and complexities is the lack of liquidity to cover the costs of estate administration. These expenses may satisfy just debts to creditors or estate tax payments. ...more
Perhaps you drafted your will years ago and it references many of your existing assets, including retirement plan accounts and life insurance policies. But you also have paperwork on file with the applicable financial...more
If probate is needed, the process usually begins soon after a loved one passes away. The probate process can be long, stressful, and expensive. Some family members are able to manage it on their own without an attorney, but...more
With Veterans Day upon us, it is a perfect time to not only thank those who served our country, but remind them of the special benefits available to them as they plan their estates. The U.S. Department of Veterans...more
The state of marriage has morphed tremendously since the Brady Bunch first aired in 1969, giving rise to nearly as many blended families as traditional families. For those in this situation, it is important to incorporate...more
Your will is the foundation of your estate plan. Notably, it provides for the disposition of your worldly possessions, including your house, investments and other property. These go to the beneficiaries named in your will. In...more
GST taxes - Plan carefully to avoid surprises - If you wish to share some of your wealth with your grandchildren or great grandchildren — or if your estate plan is likely to benefit these generations — it’s critical to...more
If your life changes, so should your estate plan. Marriage, divorce, death of a spouse, a birth and a changing relationship with a child are just some of the life changes that may affect your estate plan. Unfortunately, as...more
Estate planners work hard to set up estate and wealth transfer plans that fit a client’s needs and ensure that everything works together for the client. Unfortunately, as the client’s situation changes, they often don’t...more
Financial institutions and brokerage firms occasionally recommend that client accounts be structured as joint or beneficiary-designated accounts without full consideration of the impact on the client’s estate plan....more
In a March 9, 2021 opinion, the Maryland Court of Appeals signaled the end of what it termed “an elaborate web of procedural history” by answering two questions certified to it by the United States District Court for the...more
With the prospect of estate tax exemptions going down and estate tax rates going up, life insurance is being considered again to cover potential estate taxes. One way to use life insurance as a “hedge” against estate taxes is...more
As Tiffany mentioned in her introductory post, during the next few months, we will be dissecting important issues presented in our fact pattern involving the Smith and Alexander families....more