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Deciding Between a Trust and a LLC for Business Owners

30 Nov

When starting a business, two of the biggest considerations are often the tax consequences and limiting the liability of the owners.  While an explanation of the tax pros and cons of selecting a specific entity can be complex, explaining how to limit one’s liability is fairly straightforward. The most common way to achieve this limitation of liability is to […]

What to do When You Are Named Successor Trustee

31 Jul

When an individual or couple creates a revocable living trust, they typically name themselves as the initial trustee.  When they become incapacitated, die, or simply become tired with the role as trustee, a successor trustee is named.  This successor usually comes in the form of a corporate trustee, professional fiduciary, or family member.  The majority […]

The Perils of Drafting Your Own Will or Trust

26 Mar

Estate planning used to be a niche carved out by attorneys who had been drafting wills and trusts for years.  However, as technology has evolved, the options available to those looking for an estate plan have expanded.  Not only are more attorneys preparing wills and trusts (which comes at its own risk), but the emergence […]

Estate Planning for Digital Assets

27 Nov
Estate Planning for Digital Assets

In the past year I’ve gotten more and more questions about what happens to someone’s online accounts when they pass away. This is certainly a great question that often goes unconsidered, even for people that have more formal estate planning in place. With the amount of information available in these accounts, both private and public, […]

Distinguishing a Living Will From a Will

20 Sep
Living Trust & Estate Planning

One of the most common estate planning requests I get is to draft a living will.  While this is great because everyone needs one, I have found that many people are confusing a living will with another document, such as a will or even a living trust.  This post will explain what a living will […]

The Estate Planning Toolbox: Portability Election

15 Aug
estate-planning-toolbox

With the passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, the portability election for the estate and gift tax exclusion became permanent.  While portability was available in 2011 and 2012, it was not until 2013 that it became a permanent fixture and changed the estate planning landscape for married couples.  The portability election can […]

The Basics of Estate Planning

17 May
estate-planning-basics

It is common for people to approach me and say they need to setup an “estate plan,” but when I dive a little deeper and ask what they are looking for many people don’t know where to begin.  While every person’s situation is different, the most frequent estate plan I draft for people centers around […]