What Does My Estate Plan Look Like after Divorce?
Some marriages end in noise and pain. Other marriages drift away quietly with the signing of documents and only a hint of acrimony.
When Can an Executor Start Paying the Heirs of an Estate?
I have settled my mother’s estate and sent the final accounting paperwork to my three siblings. Two have signed off on the bond paperwork but my one brother is nitpicking the statements, asking for invoices for the lawyer, the CPA, etc. Can I send the other two their share of the inheritance or do I need to wait until everyone signs off?
Are People Avoiding Estate Planning in the Pandemic?
We found that Covid-19 had a significant impact on Americans’ sense of personal readiness, with 65% saying that coronavirus made them realize the importance of sharing important information with family. Around the same amount of people (64%) noted that planning for the future was more important than ever and half (50%) said the pandemic made them realize how unprepared they were for a serious emergency.
How Do I Make Sure My Wife Gets the House When I Die?
I am currently married but I purchased a home from my mother before my marriage. I added my younger sister to the deed at the time of purchase, so the house would remain in the family if something happened to me. I have been paying the mortgage and bills myself for three years now. However, now that I’m married to a great woman, who would get the house when I die?
How Do I Calculate My Executor’s Fee?
My parents died five months apart. I am the executor. How is the executor fee calculated fairly?
How Current is Your Estate Plan?
Most people do not update their estate plans often enough. The most common (and most absurd) excuse for not updating planning, that most advisers hear is: Nothing has changed.
What Do I Need in My Estate Plan in Addition to a Will?
This time of year, families gather to celebrate the season, offering an opportunity to air your plans for the inevitable.
How Do I Disinherit My Family?
Properly disinheriting another person is a science, not an art. You should follow formal legal guidelines, instead of assuming what you think is logical will work once your estate is administered.
Estate Taxes Have Not Come to an End?
To paraphrase Mark Twain: reports of the death of state estate taxes are greatly exaggerated. In fact, there are recent signs that states are starting to beef up their estate tax laws, instead of tearing them down. This, of course, is bad news for wealthier Americans, who had hoped that state lawmakers would continue burying these taxes.
If Not Now, When? It is the Time for Estate Planning
Estate planning attorneys are getting mobbed with questions. Here is some timely advice from three attorneys on what families and business owners should be doing to prepare, in case the unimaginable happens.