While there are dozens of potential tax breaks you may qualify for, here are 4 of the leading moves you can make to save big on your 2022 tax return. However, there may be other opportunities for saving, so meet with us, your Personal Family Lawyer® to make certain you haven’t missed a single one.

Dear Ready: Although you generally must wait until age 59½ to make withdrawals from your 401(k) without incurring a 10% early-withdrawal penalty, the IRS allows for a separation of service exception for certain workers. Also known as the “Rule of 55,” if you quit, were laid ...

If you earn a good living now, but you worry about not having enough money for a future time when you cannot work due to illness or injury, disability insurance is your answer. However, you need to make sure you are getting an insurance policy that will meet your needs and not waste your money. This article covers 7 issues to consider when purchasing disability insurance.

If you have preferences about what happens to your digital footprint after your death, you need to take action. Otherwise, your online legacy will be determined for you—and not by you. If you have any online accounts, such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Apple, or Amazon, you have a digi...

Looking at how Instagram, Twitter, and Apple’s collection of online platforms handle your accounts once you log off for the final time.

If you have preferences about what happens to your digital footprint after your death, you need to take action. Otherwise, your online legacy will be determined for you—and not by you. If you have any online accounts, such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Apple, or Amazon, you have a digi...

People often come to us curious — or confused — about the role trusts play in saving on taxes. Given how frequently this issue comes up, here we're going to explain the tax implications associated with different types of trusts in order to clarify this issue. Of course, if you need further clarif...

This year, Estate Planning Awareness Week runs from October 17th to 23rd, and one of our primary goals is to educate you on the vital importance of not only preparing an estate plan but also keeping your plan up-to-date. While you almost surely understand the importance of creating an estate plan...

With the cost of a funeral averaging between $7,000 and $12,000 and steadily increasing each year, at the very least your estate plan should include enough money to cover this final expense. And if you are thinking of simply setting aside money in your will to cover your funeral expenses, you sho...

Actress Anne Heche died this August following a tragic car accident, leaving behind two young sons: Homer Heche Laffoon, age 20, and Atlas Heche Tupper, age 13.  Last week, in part one, we covered the way uncertainty around Heche's estate plan is creating conflict among her loved ones and result...

Actress Anne Heche died this August following a tragic car accident in which she plowed her vehicle into a West Los Angeles home, where it burst into flames. After being pulled from the wreckage, the Emmy Award-winning actress was hospitalized in critical condition, suffering from severe burns an...

A trust is a legal creation set up to benefit someone or something. For example, some people set up trusts to benefit their children, their grandchildren, or even charities. It is easiest to understand if you think about three separate people being involved. One person, called the grantor, funds...

A: The person you choose to serve as trustee for your trust does NOT have to have a background or experience in law, finance, taxes, or any other field related to trust administration. In fact, trustees are not only allowed to seek outside support from professionals in these areas, but they're...

Following the death of a loved one, close family members are sometimes surprised to learn that they didn't receive the inheritance they were expecting and that the deceased instead left most of their estate to an individual they only recently met, who wasn't even a relative. While it's not always...

August is “National Make-A-Will Month,” and if you have already prepared your will, congratulations—too few Americans have taken this key first step in the estate planning process. In fact, only 33% of Americans have created their will, according to Caring.com's 2022 Wills and Estate Planning Stu...

August is “National Make-A-Will Month,” and if you have already prepared your will, congratulations—too few Americans have taken this key first step in the estate planning process. In fact, only 33% of Americans have created their will, according to Caring.com's 2022 Wills and Estate Planning Stu...

If you have started to save for your child or grandchild's college education, it's worth considering whether to use a 529 plan, an education savings account, or an irrevocable trust. Last week, in part one of this series, we discussed 529 plans and education savings accounts, which are both popu...

If you have started to save for your child or grandchild’s college education, it’s worth considering whether to use a 529 plan, an education savings account, or an Irrevocable Trust.

You might think that only the super wealthy need to worry about asset protection planning. But the truth is that if you don’t have millions, you may be at even greater risk. Here are four essential strategies to consider for safeguarding your family’s most valuable assets.

Family dynamics are extremely complicated and prone to conflict even during the best of times. But when tragedy strikes a member of the household, even minor tensions and disagreements can explode into bitter conflict. And when access to money (or even quite often, sentimental items of furniture or jewelry) is on the line, the potential for discord is exponentially increased. Ultimately, there is no greater cost to families than the cost of lost relationships after the death or incapacity of a loved one.

This blog outlines the typical procedure for claiming and collecting life insurance proceeds, along with discussing how beneficiaries can deal with common hiccups in the process. However, because all life insurance policies are different and some involve more complexities than others, contact our office if you need any support or guidance.

As anyone who has personally dealt with loss knows, when a loved one dies, those left behind face major challenges, not only emotional and logistical but financial as well. Empathy, a website dedicated to providing support for navigating grief and settling an estate, Empathy is designed to help bereaved families find balance during one of life's most challenging moments.

Whenever you merge two families into one, you are naturally going to encounter some challenges and conflict. To this end, blended families present a number of particularly challenging legal and financial issues from an estate planning perspective. Indeed, though all families should have an estate plan, planning is absolutely essential for those with blended families. 

If you are like many homeowners, your home is likely your family’s most valuable and treasured asset. In light of this, you want to plan wisely to ensure your home will pass to your heirs in the most efficient and safe manner possible when you die or in the event you become incapacitated by illness or injury. Here in part two, we will outline the key advantages of using a trust to pass your home to your loved ones compared to other estate planning strategies.

If you are like many homeowners, your home is likely your family’s most valuable and treasured asset. In light of this, you want to plan wisely to ensure your home will pass to your heirs in the most efficient and safe manner possible when you die or in the event you become incapacitated by illness or injury.