For many, the Fourth of July signals the beginning of summer and enjoying warm-weather activities, including backyard barbecues with friends and family. Although a cookout may be an informal affair, planning is crucial to its success. This is true for estate planning, too. Just as preparations are necessary for a successful cookout, a little planning […]

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I work with parents on this exact question all the time, and especially this time of year, sitting right between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, the love you have for your children tends to be at the forefront of your mind. But there’s a question I find most parents haven’t actually answered yet, even the […]

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If you’re a father, you’ve always strived to provide the best for your family, ensuring their well-being and securing their future. However, even the most well-intentioned plans can falter if you overlook the complexities of estate planning. So this Father’s Day, let’s celebrate all of you dads and explore some common pitfalls that fathers often […]

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There are two kinds of fathers. The first kind coaches the games, makes it to the school plays, stays up late helping with the projects, and loves his family in every visible way. He thinks about what would happen if something happened to him: maybe during a long drive home, maybe after a close call, […]

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If you are in a blended family, you may believe the simplest estate plan is the fairest one: “I’ll leave everything to my spouse. They’ll take care of my kids.” That approach often works in a first and only marriage. If you and your spouse share the same biological or adopted children, the surviving spouse […]

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For some people, the term family meeting may not bring to mind a pleasant gathering where everyone shares fond memories and warm feelings. When someone says, “We need to talk,” it often implies that something is wrong or that tough decisions need to be made or discussed. However, in estate planning, future problems are exactly […]

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When someone calls an estate planning attorney asking for a “quick look” at their documents, the request usually sounds straightforward. Maybe the documents were created using an online service, and they want to “just be sure” the documents are sound. Perhaps there’s been a move to a new state and a question about whether the […]

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Steward—a term for someone entrusted with the care of something that does not personally belong to them—is commonly used in such realms as business, public service, and environmentalism. Conservationists may be referred to as stewards of the land. Business leaders may describe themselves as stewards charged with acting in shareholders’ best interests. Public figures refer […]

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When Anna Harp lost her father, Rudolph Clausing, she didn’t get to say goodbye. It was January 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her dad had been battling lung disease when he contracted the virus, and strict hospital protocols meant his family couldn’t be by his side in his final days. Anna was […]

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When planning for your death, there’s one issue you may not have thought about, but is so important to your beneficiaries: will your loved ones have to pay taxes on what you leave them? The answer isn’t straightforward because it depends largely on the types of assets you’re passing down, how much you are passing […]

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