Estate Planning

Is your elderly parent or grandparent involved in a new relationship with someone significantly younger? If so, beware. Thanksgiving may be a good time for you to get to know your parent or grandparent’s new

A concerned relative contacted me. Her cousin had been married for eight years before her recent death. Her deceased cousin had a son from a prior marriage. Her cousin started a 401(k) plan three decades

As an estate planning attorney, I’ve had the great privilege of working with many individuals who are nearing the end of their lives. Although elderly and sometimes not in the best of health, they don’t

A concerned daughter called me recently. She said she needed a Lady Bird Deed prepared by the end of the day. When I asked why she was in a rush, she explained that her mother

A lot of people mistakenly assume that all jointly-held property automatically passes to a surviving spouse when one spouse dies. That is not necessarily the case. Jointly-held property can be held as tenants in common

My family is going on vacation the end of June. It’s a trip we’ve been planning for more than six months, and we’re looking forward to all the adventures that lie ahead. But something has

If you are the parent of a high school senior, you’re probably feeling a whirlwind of emotion right now. Just thinking about the fact that I will be in your place in a couple of

Some people have a very contentious relationship with members of their immediate family. So much so that they don’t want those family members to even control what happens to their remains when they die. Someone

Most spouses have at least one joint bank account. Both spouses contribute to the account and can write checks or make withdrawals out of it. The fact that it is a joint account causes many

Several of my neighbors have recently received calls from individuals impersonating IRS agents. The callers claim that back taxes are owed and threaten arrest if immediate payment is not made on the phone. The calls