The coronavirus has caused a lot of uncertainty in all our lives. While not ideal, for many, this forced downtime at home has led to a time of reflection on the things that are really important. Many people have recently reached out to me to talk about their long neglected estate planning. If you have…
“Eminent domain” is the power of the federal, state, or local governments (and, in some limited circumstances, private parties, such as utilities and railroads) to take, or to authorize the taking of, private property for a public use without the owner’s consent and upon payment of just compensation.
A power of appointment is the power given to someone to allow that person to designate who will receive property or an interest in property. The creator of the power is called the donor, the individual having the power is the powerholder, and the possible recipients of the property are permissible appointees. There are other potential ramifications for powers of appointment that should be taken into account. All in all, whether to use a power of appointment and, if so, with what characteristics, are questions best answered with the advice of a lawyer well versed in estate planning.
by Mark Klein, Esq., January 31, 2018 Many older people add an adult child (or grandchild) to the title of their assets (especially their home) as a joint owner in order to avoid probate. However, this type of property can create all kinds of problems, including: When a joint owner is added, the original owner…
Perhaps you have heard the expression: “If you fail to plan then you plan to fail.” This statement was never truer than for estate planning. By some accounts, 70% of adult Americans have no will or trust in place for their loves ones. Furthermore, others who initially did prepare an estate plan have failed to…
Before James died (without a will, and with an estate valued at about $12 million) he had designated his teenage goddaughter, Jessica, as the beneficiary on two payable on death (POD) accounts worth almost $4 million at his death. Jessica and her parents were then sued by James’s estate, which was seeking reimbursement for the…
If you have heard of generation-skipping trusts (GSTs) at all, you probably think of them as a way for wealthy families to shield their fortune from estate taxes. That is true as far as it goes, but GSTs can also have benefits for the less well off by protecting assets from ex-spouses and creditors and…
Whether it is a palatial estate where Rockefellers and Vanderbilts would feel at home or a rustic cabin in the woods complete with an outhouse, a family vacation home often carries sentimental value that doesn’t show up on financial ledgers. That is all the more reason why owners of such homes should plan for the…
As the name implies, a charitable remainder trust involves the transfer of assets to a trust with the income going to an individual or individuals (which can include the owner of the assets) and with a charity receiving the assets at the expiration of the trust period. Such a trust device benefits the individuals who…
The designation of an executor for a will is one of the critical steps in effective estate planning. The executor will be the individual responsible for the administration of the estate. He or she must execute the necessary documents to submit the will for probate. Then the executor must gather all of the testator’s (person…
Having a net worth of $1 million, or maybe even $2 million, does not give you entry into such a small exceptional group as used to be the case. By some estimates, between 5 and 6 million American households have a net worth of at least $2 million. This means that currently there are considerably…
For some people, life insurance may not spring to mind immediately as an effective estate planning tool. A life insurance policy remaining in the estate of the insured is subject to federal estate taxes. However, when carefully crafted and put in place with the guidance of an appropriate professional, there is a way both to…