Your Divorce Decree: The First Step in Estate Planning

Reading a Trust

You and your spouse have recently divorced, and the judge has signed the divorce decree. Now what? Although you may feel that you have spent enough time and money on lawyers, there is one last attorney you need to talk to: an estate planning attorney.

The Deaths of Gene Hackman and His Wife

Simultaneous death laws, such as the Uniform Simultaneous Death Act (USDA), enacted in 1940 and updated in 1993, were created to resolve legal uncertainties when two or more people die at the same time or close in time to each other and the order of death is unclear.

5 Easy Tips to Simplify Your Charitable Giving

A jar with coins used for funding that has a plant growing out of it

Will you be donating to charities this year? The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reminds us that you must itemize deductions on Schedule A of your tax return to claim a deduction for charitable gifts. We have some tips to ensure your charitable gifts count!

The Lifetime QTIP Trust

Trust maker of a living trust describing form to someone.

Estate planning for couples in a second or subsequent marriage can be tricky, especially if their estates are disproportionate. One solution that allows the more affluent spouse to maintain control of their property and wealth and minimize potential estate taxes—while keeping their spouse happy—is the lifetime qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) trust.

Estate Planning Strategies to Protect Your Spouse

Once you are married, you will be uniquely situated to provide meaningful support for your spouse after your passing through special estate planning tools available only to legally married individuals.

Are You Saving Enough for Retirement?

Retirement is supposed to be a carefree period of enjoyment and fulfillment. However, retirement has become a daunting prospect for many Americans, full of anxiety and financial uncertainty. Longer lives […]