While probate can be a lengthy and time-consuming process, it has a very important role in settling a person’s estate by validating their will, distributing property if a person dies without writing a will, or distributing assets if the will does not name a specific beneficiary to receive these assets. Probate is a formal process […]
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Probate, by its very nature, occurs at the worst possible time—when you are processing the death of a loved one. Probate involves administrative duties that include filing your loved one’s Last Will and Testament with the court and determining how your loved one’s property and accounts should be distributed. While probate can be a costly, […]
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Suppose you find yourself named as the executor of a friend’s estate. While you want to honor your friend’s last wish, you may wonder about the time commitment. Keeping an estate open refers to the time between the death and the assets being fully distributed. State laws typically govern the specific timeframe for keeping an […]
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Jackie, a 70-year-old widow, has an $18 million estate. She owns a home valued at $3 million. She has two married daughters and 12 grandchildren. Jackie wants to reduce her estate taxes and pass her home to her daughters as joint owners. She would like to live in the home until she dies. Qualified personal […]
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A dynasty trust (also known as a perpetual trust) is an irrevocable trust that can span more than two generations. In fact, it can theoretically last forever or as long as the trust money and property remain. As an irrevocable trust, dynasty trusts offer tax minimization and asset protection. Because the rules of an irrevocable […]
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 326,468 assisted reproduction technology (ART) cycles were performed at 449 clinics, resulting in 79,942 live-born infants in 2020. This is approximately 2% of all infants born in the United States. ART involves all fertility treatments in which eggs or embryos are handled. The main type of […]
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A spousal lifetime access trust (SLAT) is a trust created by one spouse (trustmaker spouse) for the benefit of the other (beneficiary spouse). This estate planning tool can be used to retain as much control over your property and assets as possible while not paying any more taxes than you have to. Spousal […]
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No one wants to believe their family member would contest their estate plan by alleging they weren’t competent to write it. This is more likely when you disinherit someone who ordinarily would have received money and property from you or if you have been diagnosed with a mental condition that is associated with deteriorating mental […]
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Imagine you have been named the executor for your grandmother’s Last Will and Testament. She names you and several of your cousins as her beneficiaries. You happily accepted this role, but you have a problem. You haven’t talked to two of your cousins in over a decade. You have no idea how to reach them. […]
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Before heading off to your next great adventure, take a few minutes to review this quick checklist and identify an important estate planning issue you may need to address. Do you have a basic estate plan? Have you met with your estate attorney to create an estate plan: a set of instructions that are memorialized […]
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