Consider these Overlooked Elements in your Planning

April 26, 2023

When creating an estate plan, consider these overlooked elements in your planning. There are details which seem minor but are actually very important, says a recent article from mondaq, “Four Provisions People Often Forget To Include In Their Estate Plan.”

Don’t forget to name alternative beneficiaries and executors. If the will names a beneficiary but they are unable to take possession of the property, or they are deceased, the asset will pass as though you didn’t have a will at all. In other words, the state will determine who receives the property, which may not be in accordance with your wishes. If there’s an alternate beneficiary, the property will go to someone of your choosing. A backup executor is also critical. If your primary executor cannot or does not want to serve, the court may appoint an administrator.

Personal possessions, including family heirlooms. Most families have items with great sentimental value, whether or not they have any financial value. Putting a list in your will makes it very difficult if you want to change your mind over time. It’s best to have a personal property memorandum. This is a separate document providing details about what items you want to give to family and friends. In some states, it is legally binding if the personal property memorandum is referenced in the will and signed and dated by the person making the will. A local estate planning attorney will know the laws regarding personal property memorandums for your state.

Even if this document is not legally binding, it gives your heirs clear instructions for what you want and may avoid family arguments. Please don’t use it to make any financial bequests or real estate gifts. Those belong in the will.

Digital assets. Much of our lives is now online. However, many people have slowly incorporated digital assets into their estate plans. You’ll want to list all online accounts, including email, financial, social media, gaming, shopping, etc. In addition, your executor may need access to your cell phone, tablet and desktop computer. The agent named by your Power of Attorney needs to be given authority to handle online accounts with a specific provision in these documents. Ensure the list, including the accounts, account number, username, password and other access information, is kept safe, and tell your executor where it can be found.

Companion animals. Today’s pet is a family member but is often left unprotected when its owners die or become incapacitated. Pets cannot inherit property, but you can name a caretaker and set aside funds for maintenance. Many states now permit pet owners to have a pet trust, a legally enforceable trust so the trustee may pay the pet’s caregiver for your pet’s needs, including veterinarian care, training, boarding, food and whatever the pet needs. Creating a document providing details to the caretaker concerning the pet’s needs, health conditions, habits and quirks is advised. Make sure the person you are naming as a caretaker is able and willing to serve in this capacity, and as always, when naming a person for any role, have at least one backup person named.

Make sure your consider these overlooked elements in your planning. Discuss all of your options carefully with an experienced estate planning attorney. If you would like to learn more about drafting an estate plan, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: mondaq (March 16, 2023) “Four Provisions People Often Forget To Include In Their Estate Plan”

Photo by Mikhail Nilov

Planning to Protect your Pet after Death

March 27, 2023

Pet trusts and other options are now available to owners to provide for their animals when they can’t—and they’re not just for wealthy people. Planning to protect your pet after your incapacity or death is detailed in a recent article, “6 estate planning tips for pet owners” from Puget Sound Business Journal.

First, address your desired level of care and the annual cost of your pet. Depending on the type of pet, breed, health and diet, costs can vary dramatically. If you have multiple pets, consider which one is most likely to outlive you. What do you spend on food, pet insurance, vet care, medications and supplements? Will your pet require additional care as they age?

Create a list of your preferred veterinarians, groomers, daycare, pet walkers, food, sleeping preferences, treats, toys and any particular information you’d want someone to know if you are unable to tell them.

Name an appropriate trustee and caretaker and be sure they are willing to serve in these roles. Pets are considered property and legally may not own property of their own. If you leave an inheritance to them or name them as beneficiaries, state laws will determine who owns the assets. It won’t be the pet.

To ensure your pet is cared for, people typically designate a caregiver and a trustee. The trustee oversees the finances and is charged with ensuring that funds are used to care for the pet. The caretaker is similar to a custodial parent, and your pet will ideally live with them. Compensation for these roles is common, so factor this into your cost analysis.

Next, put it in writing. If you know your caregiver well and trust they will follow your wishes, you may put your request in your will. Your will disposes of all your property, including your pets, and leaves them to a beneficiary, who is your caretaker. It is important to understand that there is no guarantee or legal enforcement if you go this route. Informal agreements for pet care aren’t much better. If you give your pet to someone when you pass away, they can leave it at a shelter or give it to someone else.

Have your estate planning attorney create a pet trust. This is increasingly common, and not just for eccentric billionaires. Pet trusts were approved in 2000 under Section 408 of the Uniform Trust Code. The trust is a legal entity to plan for the care of your pet.

Make sure that your documents are reviewed every few years to be sure they reflect your wishes. This is especially true if you relocate or if caregivers pass away.

Fund your pet trust. This is the process of transferring assets into the trust, so the trustee can distribute them to the caregiver. Once the trust is created, it should be funded, even if you don’t expect to die tomorrow. Your estate planning attorney can discuss ways of funding the trust upon your death if you wish.

Provide directions for any remaining funds after your pet dies. If your beloved Woof passes shortly after you, what would you want to happen to the remaining funds? Beneficiaries could be an individual, a group, or an organization. It’s generally not recommended to leave the remaining funds to the caregiver or trustee—you don’t want to give them a reason to artificially shorten the pet’s life or provide bad care.

Estate planning for pets can easily be overlooked. However, if you are a pet parent, you’ll feel better knowing you’ve done the planning to protect your pet after your death, so they’ll enjoy a long and happy life, even in your absence. If you would like to learn more about pet protection, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Puget Sound Business Journal (March 2, 2023) “6 estate planning tips for pet owners”

Trust can be Designed to be Millennial Friendly

March 22, 2023

If your named beneficiaries are Millennials—born between 1981-1996—you may want to consider three essential points about your trusts, as explained in the recent article “Trusts For Your Millennial Beneficiaries” from The Street. They’re different from their parents and grandparents, and disregarding these differences is a missed opportunity. Your trust can be designed to be Millennial friendly.

This generation’s distinguishing characteristics and traits include:

Valuing relations with superiors with a passion for learning and growth.
Desire to live a life with meaning and make a positive impact on the world and causes.
Creative and free thinking, looking for outside-the-box solutions and opportunities.

If your estate plan benefits Gen Y, some trust features recommended for Millennials may not be optimal for them. They’re different than their older Millennial counterparts.

Have your beneficiary serve as a co-trustee of their trust alongside an experienced advisor. Millennials appreciate the opportunity to ask for advice from a trusted advisor, secure positive reinforcement and get constructive feedback. Many heirs set to come into money are likely to work with an advisor once they inherit. For them, a co-trustee arrangement could be perfect. Consider naming a family member or friend with a background in finance as their co-trustee or naming a corporate trustee.

Consider giving your beneficiary a limited testamentary power of appointment to support their favorite charity. Millennials want to make a positive impact on the world, and there’s a trust feature you can build into a trust to support this goal: a limited testamentary power of appointment. In broad strokes, this gives the trust beneficiary the power to redirect where assets go upon their death. If the scope of power permits, they could redirect assets to charitable organizations of their choice.

Most people design trusts to last for the beneficiary’s lifetime and then structure the trust so assets remaining at their death will pass in trust to their children in equal shares. Trusts can also be created to change the distribution percentages between recipients. For instance, instead of a 50-50 split, the trust can redirect shares of 70-30 to better accomplish their personal objectives. You can also provide for new beneficiaries, like charities, if they weren’t part of the original trust.

Powers of appointment can be complicated and making them overly broad can have serious and adverse tax consequences. Therefore, speak with your estate planning attorney to make sure the scope of power is clear and properly designed.

Broadly define the standards for which distributions can be made to your beneficiary. Millennials think differently, so the commonly used trust distribution standards of health, education, maintenance and support (“HEMS”) may stop them from being able to tap into trust funds for philanthropic or entrepreneurial efforts. The HEMS standard only allows for distributions generally for purposes to align with the beneficiary’s current standard of living. If you want beneficiaries to be able to do more, they need to be given the ability to do so.

Another way to accomplish this is to allow a disinterested trustee (someone who is not a beneficiary) an expansive distribution authority. Having the ability to make a distribution of trust funds to your beneficiary for any purpose can be a little unsettling. However, naming a disinterested trustee you trust will ensure that funds are distributed responsibly.

Leaving assets in trust for beneficiaries can be part of an effective estate plan supporting planning goals and your loved one’s future. However, if the trust’s structure doesn’t meet their unique needs and talents, then their potential may be dimmed. Talk with your estate planning attorney about how a trust can designed to be Millennial friendly. If you would like to learn more about trusts and wills for younger adults, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: The Street (Feb. 24, 2023) “Trusts For Your Millennial Beneficiaries”

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Some Best Practices for a Trustee to follow

March 9, 2023

Many people find they have been named a trustee and generally have no idea what responsibilities they have, or how to ensure they do not make a huge mistake. There are some best practices for a trustee to follow. Forbes’ recent article entitled “How To Be An Effective Trustee” provides some great best practices for those asked to be a trustee.

Make a team. No one person can have all the necessary skills and experience to be an effective trustee. Work with an experienced estate planning attorney, an investment advisor and a tax accountant knowledgeable about the taxation of trusts. It’s a good practice for the trustee to have regular meetings with the team of advisors, both as a team and individually.
Understand the key trust terms. Understand what the trust document says and what the key terms mean. When you are named as trustee, a best practice is to read the entire trust document and go through the document with an attorney and have them explain the key terms. Some of these key terms may involve the following:

Distribution standards
Special provisions for investing, particularly direction to sell or not to sell certain assets
Provisions the trustee should act upon, like the power to appoint a successor; and
Knowing whether the beneficiary’s age will trigger distributions or any other actions.

Work productively with beneficiaries. Dealing with beneficiaries is frequently the most challenging part of being a trustee. There can be differences of opinion over distribution amounts, investment strategy, or other matters relating to the management of the trust which can lead to disagreement. To avoid potential issues with beneficiaries and facilitate a productive relationship, trustees should try to practice following:

Communication
Transparency
Education
Clear Distributions; and
Providing Required Information.

Documentation is Crucial. Although trustees can’t guarantee perfect results, they must act with care, skill and impartiality. They must have rational reasons for their decisions and documenting them is critical because it substantiates the trustee’s decision-making. Some examples of decisions that should be thoroughly documented include:

Distribution Decisions
Decisions That Set Investment Policy
Initiation or Termination of Investments and Hiring and Firing Investment Managers/Funds
Principal and Income Allocations;
Verbal Communications with Beneficiaries; And
Decisions to Hire Experts or Agents, like an attorney or an accountant.

This is not full list. It is very important to seek out the advice of an estate planning attorney. He or she will help you identify some of the best practices for a trustee to follow. If you would like to learn more about the role of a trustee, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Forbes (May 31, 2022) “How To Be An Effective Trustee”

Steps Seniors should take before Remarrying

March 6, 2023

Seniors in particular think about remarrying with an understandable degree of concern. Maybe your last relationship ended in a divorce, or there’ve been too many dating disasters. However, according to a recent article from MSN, “Planning to remarry after a divorce? 6 tips to protect your financial future,” there are some steps seniors should take before remarrying to make relationships easier to navigate and protect your financial future.

Not all of them are easy, but all are worthwhile.

No marrying without a prenup. Who wants to think about divorce when they’re head-over-heels in love and planning a wedding? No one. However, think of a prenup as about the start, not the end. It clarifies many issues: full financial clarity, financial expectations and clear details on what would happen in the worst case scenario. Getting all this out in the open before you say “I do” makes it much easier for the new couple to go forward.

Trust…but verify. Estate planning ensures that assets pass as you want. A revocable living trust set up during your lifetime can be used to ensure your assets pass to your offspring. Unlike a will, the provisions of a revocable trust are effective not just when you die but in the event of incapacity. A living trust can provide for the trust creator and their children during any period of incapacity prior to death. At death, the trust ensures that beneficiaries receive assets without going through probate.

Consider life insurance. Life insurance, possibly held in an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT), which allows proceeds to pass tax-free, can be used to provide funds for a surviving spouse or children from a prior marriage. Make sure to review all insurance policies, including life, property and casualty and umbrella insurance to be sure you have the correct coverage in place, insurance policies are titled correctly and premiums continue to be paid.

Estate planning. While you are planning to remarry is a good time to check on account titles, beneficiary designations and powers of attorney. Couples should review their estate plans to be sure planning reflects current wishes. Married couples have the benefit of the unlimited marital deduction, meaning they can gift during their lifetime or bequeath at death an unlimited amount of assets to their U.S. citizen surviving spouse without any gift or estate tax. For unmarried couples, different estate planning techniques need to be used to pass the maximum amount to partners tax free.

Check beneficiaries. After divorce and before a remarriage, check beneficiaries on 401(k)s, pensions, retirement accounts and life insurance policies, Power of Attorney and Health Care Power of Attorney documents. If you remarry, a prenup agreement or state law may require you to give some portion of your estate to your spouse, so have an estate planning attorney guide you through any changes. Couples should also check beneficiaries of life insurance and retirement plans.

Choose trustees wisely. Consider the advantages of a corporate trustee, who will be neutral and may prevent tensions with a newly blended family. If an outsider is named as an executor, or to act as a trustee, they may be able to minimize conflict. They’ll also have the professional knowledge and expertise with legal, tax and administrative complexities of administering estates and trusts.

These are just some of the major steps seniors should take before remarrying. Sit down and discuss the implications on you planning with your estate planning lawyer. If you would like to learn more about remarriage protection, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: MSN (Feb. 11, 2023) “Planning to remarry after a divorce? 6 tips to protect your financial future”

There is Value in a Life Insurance Trust

February 27, 2023

Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts have three components: a grantor, the person who creates a trust, a trustee, the manager of the trust and a beneficiary or beneficiaries, explains a recent article titled “What is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust?” from The Edwardsville Intelligencer. There is value in a life insurance trust.

In an ILIT, the trustee purchases the policy, and the irrevocable trust becomes the owner. When insurance benefits are paid on the death of the grantor, the trustee collects the funds, pays any estate taxes due and any outstanding debts, like legal fees and probate costs, then distributes the rest to beneficiaries.

The biggest reason for people to consider an ILIT is to help lessen estate taxes. In the last few years, the federal estate and gift tax exemption has been set at historically high levels, and most people don’t need to worry about that on a federal level. However, state estate taxes still need to be addressed, and the federal estate tax level is set to drop dramatically in 2026.

There are other reasons for an ILIT:

If a life insurance beneficiary is incapacitated, the ILIT can prevent the court system from controlling proceeds.

Proceeds from the ILIT can provide cash to pay expenses, including estate taxes and any other debts.

The ILIT can provide income for the spouse without the funds being included in the spouse’s estate.

The ILIT can provide protection for heirs. Depending upon the state where you live, proceeds from life insurance payouts may or may not have protection from creditors. Speak with your estate planning attorney to learn if this applies to you.

Ability to include a “Spendthrift Provision.” If an heir or heirs has trouble managing money or is prone to making bad decisions, financial and otherwise, the ILIT trust can contain a spendthrift provision to pay beneficiaries monthly, instead of providing them with a lump-sum payout.

However, the ILIT isn’t for everyone. There are some downsides to consider.

The ILIT is irrevocable, and is difficult, if not impossible, to make changes to it, with the exception of changing the trustee. Once a policy is placed in an ILIT, you give up any rights to the policy. You can’t reassign it to a different trust or any other legal entity.

ILITs are complex and nuanced legal vehicles requiring the help of an estate planning attorney who knows their way around trusts. There is value in a life insurance trust; but understand this has been a very general overview of a topic with many moving parts to it. Discuss whether an ILIT will be useful for your estate plan with an experienced estate planning attorney. If you would like to learn more about ILITs, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: The Edwardsville Intelligencer (Jan. 31, 2023) “What is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust?”

Ideas to improve Business Succession Planning

February 9, 2023

Winter is a slower season for farmers and ranchers. It offers family business leaders time to plan for the future. A recent article from Progressive Farmer, “Family Business Matters: Eight Practical Succession Ideas,” lists ideas to improve business succession and estate planning efforts.

Update balance sheets. Families who own land passed through generations don’t always like to show the land at its current fair market value. Even if you intend to never sell the land, creating an estate plan requires an accurate valuation of all assets to minimize the consequences of estate and income taxes.

Chart ownership for the future. Family members often have no understanding of how they will achieve ownership of the business and its assets. Will it be a gift? Will there be taxes to pay? Or will it be a sale? Will they need to buy out non-farming family members? Without clear answers to these and related questions, people may find themselves operating on assumptions, which almost always leads to conflict or family fractures.

Start handing off management tasks sooner, not later. Plan for the transition by starting with discrete business functions. This could be as straightforward as making decisions about equipment, purchasing crop insurance, or enrolling in a Farm Service Agency. This gives the senior generation the ability to delegate and observe, while empowering and more fully engaging the next generation.

Refresh estate planning documents. People often neglect to update estate documents. Review wills, trusts, trustees, beneficiary designations, advance medical directives and power of attorney documents. Are the people named in various roles still appropriate? Does your estate still work, in light of changing tax laws? This should happen at least every three to five years.

Assess tax consequences of exiting the business. Part of retirement funding is the tax liability of leaving the family business. Deferred income, prepaid expenses and fully depreciated equipment can lead to significant tax exposure. Three to five years ahead of your departure, start mapping out a plan with your accountant, estate planning attorney and financial advisor.

Create a relationship between family members and landowners. If you rent property from an absentee landowner, those relationships will be vital to continuing the business. You may not be able to influence the landowner at the time of transition to the next generation. However, establishing relationships with family members who will take over for you can reduce friction.

Communicate the benefits family members will get from working together to maintain the business. Passing land from one generation to the next often means siblings or cousins become business partners, with undivided interests in the land or as shareholders or members of some legal entity. Family members who may not get along will benefit from having a “buy-sell agreement” in place. This spells out how partners can buy out each other’s interest if one or more family members want to sell. Talk with your estate planning attorney to establish an agreement in advance of anyone leaving the business to reduce the potential of family conflict.

These are just a few ideas to improve business succession planning. Discuss your goals with your family and your estate planning attorney so a solid plan is in place. If you are interested in reading more about succession planning, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Progressive Farmer (Jan. 1, 2023) “Family Business Matters: Eight Practical Succession Ideas”

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto

Add Safeguards to Protect Heirs

December 20, 2022

What if your executor or trustee decides to run off to the Bahamas with all your assets, leaving heirs with nothing? Ohio Farmer’s recent article entitled “What if trustee runs off with assets?” says that you should add safeguards to protect the heirs of an estate.

The most common way to protect against this possibility is a fiduciary bond. An executor, trustee, or guardian would get a bond early in a probate case and file it with the court. The bond would remain in place while the fiduciary is serving his or her role. If the fiduciary absconds with estate assets, the bond is there to help the beneficiaries.

This expense would be covered by the fiduciary, who would need to find a bond company willing to issue it. The bond amount is connected to the value of personal property, such as financial accounts, vehicles and personal effects.

Do you need a bond to cover the value of land? No. The primary difference is that land can’t be picked up easily and moved, making a bond unnecessary. It’s also very hard to transfer land without extensive safeguards. In some cases, court permission is required for a transfer. To sell a farm or ranch, a title company might raise suspicion. Real estate-related actions are also often public record. In some cases, a court action can correct issues or order damages.

It’s possible to waive the requirement of a bond. That’s a default setting for bonds with estates, trusts, or guardianships. Most estate planning documents waive the bond requirement, because family members often serve as fiduciaries.

State law may also describe several situations where a bond isn’t required. However, if a party motions the court, and the judge thinks there’s good cause for a bond, one can be required for a fiduciary.

While a bond can provide some important protections for heirs, the likelihood of a fiduciary running off with assets is low. As a result, most administrations view the bond as an unnecessary step and expense.

However, if a family is concerned about the trustworthiness of a fiduciary and want to add safeguards to protect your heirs, the bond requirement should be reinstated.

If an administration is pending, the family can petition the court to require a bond. Consult with an experienced estate planning attorney to determine the role of bonds for your estate plan. if you would like to learn more about the responsibilities of a trustee, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Ohio Farmer (Nov. 22, 2022) “What if trustee runs off with assets?”

Steps to Minimize Inheritance Battles

December 1, 2022

There are steps to take to minimize, if not eliminate the likelihood of inheritance battles. Inheritance battles can create new conflicts, inflame long-standing resentments and squander assets intended to make heir’s lives better. What can families do to prevent estate battles when a loved one’s intentions aren’t accepted is the question asked by the recent article, “Warning Signs Of Estate Disputes—And Ways to Avoid Them,” from mondaq.com.

Here are the more common scenarios leading to family estate battles:

Siblings who are always fighting over something
Second or third marriages
Disparate treatment of children, whether real or perceived
Mental illness or additional issues
Isolation or estrangement
Economic hardship

The most important step to begin is to have an estate plan in place, including all the necessary documents to clearly indicate your wishes. You may want to include a letter of intent, which is not a legally enforceable document. However, it can support the wishes expressed in estate planning documents.

Update the Estate Plan. Does your estate plan still achieve the desired outcome? This is especially important if the family has experienced big changes to finances or relationships. An estate plan from ten years ago may not reflect current circumstances.

Make Distributions Now. For some families, giving with “warm hands” is a gratifying experience and can remove wealth from the estate to avoid battles as everything’s already been given away. The pleasure of seeing families enjoy the fruits of your labor is not to be underestimated, like a granddaughter who is able to buy a home of her own or an entrepreneurial loved one getting help in a business venture.

Appoint a Non-Family Member as a Trustee. Warring factions within a family are not likely to resolve things on their own, especially when cash is at stake. Appointing a family member as a trustee could cause them to become a lightning rod for all of the family’s tensions. Without the confidence of beneficiaries, accusations of self-dealing or an innocent mistake could lead to litigation. Removing the emotions by having a non-family member serve as a professional trustee can lessen suspicion and decrease the chances of legal disputes.

Communicate, with a facilitator, if necessary. Families with a history of disputes often do better when a professional is involved. Depending on the severity of the dynamics, this could range from annual meetings with an estate planning attorney to explain how the estate plan works and have discussions about the parent’s wishes to monthly meetings with a family counselor.

A No-Contest Clause. For some families, a no-contest clause in the will can head off any issues from the start. If people are especially litigious, however, this may not be enough to stop them from pursuing a case. An experienced estate planning attorney will be able to recommend the use of this provision, based on knowing the family and how much wealth is involved.

Addressing the problem now. The biggest mistake is to sweep the issue under the proverbial rug and “let them fight over it when I’m gone.” A better legacy is to address the problem of the family squabbles and know you’ve done the right thing.

Taking steps to minimize inheritance battles can reduce the stress you may feel as we head into the holiday season. These efforts to bring families together and prepare for the future will allow parents, children and grandchildren to enjoy their time together. If you would like to learn more about inheritance issues, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: mondaq.com (Nov. 4, 2022) “Warning Signs Of Estate Disputes—And Ways to Avoid Them”

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The Estate of The Union Season 3|Episode 10

The Estate of The Union Season 2|Episode 4 is out now!

November 29, 2022

The Estate of The Union Season 2|Episode 4 – How To Give Yourself a Charitable Gift is out now!

This is the time of the year when people feel most inclined to provide donations to organizations and charities that mean something to them. The saying goes that “Charity Begins at Home”, but sometimes you can give money to charity and bring it back home too – No Kidding!

In this episode, Brad Wiewel discusses charitable donations and how you can use “give and get” techniques to turn those donations into income and tax deductions for yourself. Just in time for the holiday season. You do not want to miss this one! These are complex estate and tax matters, requiring the guidance of an experienced estate planning attorney for optimal results. If you would like to learn more about charitable giving in your estate planning, please visit our previous posts.

In each episode of The Estate of The Union podcast, host and lawyer Brad Wiewel will give valuable insights into the confusing world of estate planning, making an often daunting subject easier to understand. It is Estate Planning Made Simple! The Estate of The Union Season 2|Episode 4 – How To Give Yourself a Charitable Gift can be found on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. If you would prefer to watch the video version, please visit our YouTube page. Please click on the link below to listen to the new installment of The Estate of The Union podcast. We hope you enjoy it.

Texas Trust Law focuses its practice exclusively in the area of wills, probate, estate planning, asset protection, and special needs planning. Brad Wiewel is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. We provide estate planning services, asset protection planning, business planning, and retirement exit strategies.

Category: Trustee

Consider these Overlooked Elements in your Planning

Planning to Protect your Pet after Death

Trust can be Designed to be Millennial Friendly

Some Best Practices for a Trustee to follow

Steps Seniors should take before Remarrying

There is Value in a Life Insurance Trust

Ideas to improve Business Succession Planning

Add Safeguards to Protect Heirs

Steps to Minimize Inheritance Battles

The Estate of The Union Season 2|Episode 4 is out now!

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