Estate Planning 28 - Personal Family Lawyer

Unconditional Love Doesn’t Have to Mean Unconditional Inheritance

May 14, 2014

Most parents love their children unconditionally and want to do whatever they can to smooth life’s rough road for them. But that unconditional love doesn’t necessarily mean that unconditional trust exists when it comes to leaving children with a hefty inheritance. A recent Forbes article looked at smart ways that parents can pass the love…

May 9, 2014

Did you know that the best-selling item at Walmart is bananas? It’s true, and has been for several years. So the next time you need a great price on your favorite yellow fruit, go ahead and head for Walmart. But steer clear of the world’s largest retailer when you need a will or other estate…

May 2, 2014

Many people fail to create an estate plan because they don’t truly understand what is involved and therefore believe it is too complicated. But the real truth is that creating an estate plan during your lifetime is far less complicated than what your family will deal with after you are gone, if you don’t: Create…

April 25, 2014

The perfect gift for your child or grandchild on the occasion of their birth, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Sweet 16 or Quinceañera cannot be found in any store. Instead, the hopes and wishes you have for your child (or grandchild’s) future can best be expressed with a gift of security, resources and a foundation of…

April 18, 2014

If you are like most Americans, you will probably be spending at least some of your vacation time this summer with older family members. While there are few perfect times to talk with parents about their estate plan, the relaxed times you spend together on vacation can be one of them. Here are some tips…

April 9, 2014

America is a nation of do-it-yourselfers, but building a deck and creating a legally valid estate plan are two entirely different things – and a less-than-perfect deck won’t devastate your family’s financial future or the relationships among the people you care about most. The prevalence of online legal services has led many people to believe…

April 4, 2014

Jerry Orbach, who starred as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the popular “Law and Order” television series, died a decade ago, but a battle is brewing over his Chase bank account, according to a recent story in the New York Post. The Chase bank account in dispute belongs to Orbach’s Mingoya Productions company, and is currently…

March 28, 2014

A recent article in the New York Post about brothers battling over a painting from their uncle’s estate serves as a reminder of the importance of designating a destination for your personal property, either through a will or by gifting while you are still alive. The brotherly brouhaha came about after noted Manhattan interior designer…

March 21, 2014

Estate planning is not a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. Your life changes, your assets change, the laws change — and if your plan doesn’t change, your family gets caught holding the bag. The people you love most end up bearing the brunt of your failure to act. Conducting a proper review…

March 14, 2014

Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s will has been filed for probate and provides a cautionary tale when it comes to estate planning mistakes. Here are four things he could have done to correct them: Create a Revocable Living Trust. Hoffman was a public figure who valued his privacy. Yet by creating a will instead of…

Include Your Intellectual Property in Your Estate Plan

You don’t have to be a famous producer or household name to own intellectual property. If you create music, own a business, write stories, or build gadgets in your garage, you almost certainly have intellectual property. However, because intellectual property…

Help Your Parents Avoid These New Financial Scams – Part 2

In part one of this series, we explored two popular scams that are targeting older adults this year: the grandparent scam, and cryptocurrency pickpocketing. In this week’s blog, I’m sharing two more scams that you and your parents need to…

Help Your Parents Avoid These New Financial Scams – Part 1

Fraudsters and scam artists are nothing new, but changing tools and technology are making it easier than ever for scammers to target their victims, especially seniors. To protect your aging parents (or yourself) from these con artists, it’s crucial to…