Category: Estates / Wills

Along with a will and a health care power of attorney, one of the foundation documents for most peoples’ estate plans is the durable general power of attorney, which allows an agent to act on behalf of the person with respect to the person’s finances… Continue reading →

We frequently speak with clients who already have or who are contemplating the creation of a “living trust” or, more formally, a “revocable trust.”  These vehicles are heavily marketed by attorneys and other estate planners as a means of avoiding probate, smoothing out the post-death… Continue reading →

Our normal process for new estate planning clients is to have them complete an Estate Planning Questionnaire.  Normally, most of the questions on this form arouse no comments.  However one question often does pique the interest of married clients; that is the question of whether… Continue reading →

Out-of-state real estate often presents an additional obstacle (and cost) for many estates.  When a resident of Pennsylvania dies with an out-of-state property titled solely in his name or with a fractional portion of a property titled to him as “tenant-in-common”, that property or fractional… Continue reading →

As we have noted in this newsletter on a number of occasions in the past year and a half, the federal estate tax has become a non-issue for most married couples, and opportunities to simplify estate plans now abound.  In 2014, one individual will be… Continue reading →

When was the last time you looked at your will?  If it is more than a few years old, recent legislation, coupled with changes in your own circumstances, may have caused your existing will to become obsolete.  Consider: Many older wills typically used complicated trust… Continue reading →

The most common estate planning scenario we see is the “joint will” between spouses. For example, husband gives everything to wife, unless she predeceases him, in which case everything goes to the kids.  Likewise, wife, in her will, gives everything to husband, unless he dies… Continue reading →

For individuals with substantial estates, 2012 presents what may be a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to take advantage of the Federal gift tax exemptions.  Gifts to family members can be a favorable way to “shrink” your estate to avoid estate tax on death.  Here… Continue reading →

We frequently receive calls from individuals who are concerned about the conduct of their loved one’s agent under a power of attorney.  While the details change, the pattern is often the same; a child who is not his or her parent’s agent under a power… Continue reading →

The ever-shifting tax battles in Washington have left estate planners in a quandary for the past 12 years; and it’s beginning to look as though the angst is to continue at least until November’s election. As you know, the so-called “Bush Era Tax Cuts” are… Continue reading →