It turns out that trusts can behave just like people. Trusts are very similar to individuals in that they pay taxes and can donate to charity. A recent court case contains a warning as Wealth Management discusses in “Tax Court Disallows Trust’s Charitable Deduction for Want of Charitable Intent.” For years the trust in question […]

A holiday dinner could be the right time to begin a conversation about your estate plans. It may be a good idea to let your family know in advance about your estate plans and an upcoming holiday dinner could be the right time to begin, according to The Street in “Thanksgiving Dinner Is a Perfect […]

Digital accounts, pets and many other items are sometimes forgotten when planning for your estate. There are many complicated and important items that an estate planning attorney will bring to your attention during estate planning but sometimes the important, though seemingly small items, do not easily come to the surface, according to the Lake County […]

If you don’t have an estate plan, someone else starts making the decisions. Yet many still wait and wait and wait. People are aware that someone else makes the decisions about your estate if you don’t have an estate plan. About half of Americans put it off and never get around to it, as the […]

A family fight over an estate can be destructive but a good estate plan can reduce the chances of that battle beginning. It is a fact of life that all fights cannot be avoided but there are steps that can reduce the chances of conflict over an estate, according to the Lodi News-Sentinel in “Avoid […]

While estate planning has many different documents it comes down to two categories. One of the best ways to begin estate planning is to break the process down into two categories, according to the Motley Fool in “The Estate-Planning Documents Everyone Needs.” There are all sorts of different legal documents in estate planning that are […]

There are many opinions on the use of wills and trusts but each has strengths and weaknesses. When you are getting advice on wills and trusts it is best to decide which option is best for you but in order to do that you need to know the differences, according to the Motley Fool in […]

Bypass trusts are not as popular as they were at one time but can still work under certain circumstances. The “bypass” trust has gone out of favor as a result of federal estate law changes but can still work for you, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal in “Bypass trust works better for many families.” Basically, […]

There are many kinds of estate plans but a few things should be included in every one’s estate planning portfolio. The Catholic Register recently discussed what is necessary in every estate plan in “The must-haves of estate planning.” The article is focused on Canada but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to include them in […]

Getting an estate plan doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Many people put off creating an estate plan because they think it is a difficult, complicated process but there are tips that can make it easier as Personal Liberty recently published in “Nuts and Bolts of Estate Planning.” The tips include: Organize all of your […]