What to Do After a Loved One Dies
If you have been named the person responsible for settling a deceased loved one’s affairs, commonly called a personal representative (if your loved one had no estate plan or had ...
12 Estate Planning Blunders You Cannot Afford to Make
Many people believe that a simple will is all they need to accomplish their goals for the future. However, a flawed estate plan can create just as many headaches, heartaches, ...
Help! This Probate Is Taking Forever!
After a loved one dies, their money and property that goes through probate must be distributed to the people legally entitled to it, either according to a last will and ...
While You Are Working on Your Golf Game, Don’t Forget to Work on Your Estate Plan
The course stretches out around you, lush and perfectly manicured. You step up to the ball, take a few practice swings, and inhale the morning air. It is a shot ...
What to Do When You Do Not Own What You Think You Own
Imagine the following scenario: You have been living in a house for years. As your mother’s sole heir, you inherited it from her when she passed away. You pay the ...
Does Treating Your Children Fairly Mean Unequal Inheritances?
When thinking through their estate plan and how they want their assets (money and property) managed after they pass away, most parents wish to treat their children equally, often out ...
Undoing an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust: Options and Alternatives in a Changing Estate Tax Landscape
The irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) has long been a staple of estate planning. This tool is designed to hold life insurance policies and remove the death benefit proceeds from ...
How to Minimize the (Voluntary) Federal Estate Tax with Portability
Most people may be surprised to learn that the federal estate tax is considered by some to be voluntary. Estate planning attorneys used to say, “You only pay if you ...
The Deaths of Gene Hackman and His Wife
When investigators entered the home of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Machiko Arakawa, in a gated community outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 26, 2025, they ...
Want To Disinherit Someone? This Is What You Need To Know
Disinheritance—the intentional exclusion of a family member, usually a child or spouse, from receiving part of your estate after your death—is more common than you might think. It is also ...