According to research, over 95.5 million people have some kind of step-relationship. Given the high divorce rates, this is not surprising. If you are divorced, widowed, or remarried, it is very important that your estate planning documents are carefully drafted by knowledgeable trusts and estates counsel. Why not just do it yourself? Because in a [...]
One very important tool in trusts and estates practice is that of guardianships. What is a Guardianship? Guardianships come into play when a person is incapacitated or disabled. Incapacity. For example, let us say you do not have a will or a living will, or any of the necessary healthcare documents or powers of [...]
Here is a little something to think about: The famous artist, Pablo Picasso died in 1973 at the age of 91. He left behind a fortune in assets, including his famous artwork, 5 homes, cash, gold and bonds. His estate was valued at about $250 million. But because Picasso did not have a will, it [...]
Sometimes our relationships do not always go the way we would like. If you are considering disinheriting one of your children (or even all of them) here are a few things you might want to consider. Think Long and Hard About it. Disinheriting a child (which you can do in all states except Louisiana) is [...]
Deciding how to divide up your property in your Will can often be difficult to do. Especially if you have several children and they have varying needs, or you believe that one of them deserves more/less than the others. When it comes to trying to decide who should get what without causing a massive family [...]
One of the main objectives of estate planning is to avoid the time and expense of having your entire estate go through probate. Passing on Real Property. Historically, when it came to passing on real property, the only way you could do it was: By deed during your lifetime, Through your Will after your death, [...]
No doubt about it; technology has revolutionized our lives and our society. It has even changed what is considered to be part of a person’s “estate” when they die. #DigitalEstatePlanning. “Back in the day” all you had to worry about was your present life, the afterlife and passing on your tangible assets (real property, [...]
It’s funny how we all want pretty much the same things: happiness, security, financial stability for ourselves and our loved ones, and control over our property and our lives. Estate planning can help you get all these things. How? Here are just a few of the ways estate planning does this. Planning to Get What [...]
In its most basic form, estate planning is organizing your assets and making sure that your property goes to the people you want it to go to after you die. But here at Esser, Bradley & Khalsa, PLLC, we take estate planning well beyond the basics. One of the things we always want our clients [...]
As the old saying goes, nothing is certain except death and taxes. Since we so often talk about death here on our trusts and estates blog, we thought that today we would spice things up a bit and talk about taxes—estate taxes as a matter of fact. The Joy of Giving Gifts While Reducing Estate [...]
