Advanced healthcare directives are increasingly relevant today as we see young, healthy individuals fighting for their lives against COVID-19. Yet, Asha Shajahan, a doctor working on the frontlines in Detroit against COVID-19, said in this HuffPost article that is rare for individuals to have these documents. In fact, she found that only one in 55 of […]
An obituary can be much more than just a dry announcement of the time and location of your funeral or memorial service. It can be a way to share your life story, communicating information about significant events and people, as well as important values you would like to impart to others. You do not need to […]
Change is inevitable. What happens when circumstances change and you have an irrevocable trust? Usually you have to resort to going to court to have a judge modify the irrevocable trust. However, if the trust includes a trust protector clause, the Trust Protector may be able to modify the trust without resorting to an expensive and […]
Leaving Behind a Legacy: The Loss of Kobe Bryant On Sunday, January 26, 2020, the world was left mourning the unexpected deaths of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, after they were announced to be among the 9 fatalities of a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Bryant is highly regarded as one of the greatest […]
As a result of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, interest rates have continued to fall. This low interest rate environment can be leveraged by individuals to shift their wealth amongst beneficiaries and minimize tax hits on assets. Three estate planning techniques that can be particularly effective to reduce estate tax liability in a low interest rate environment […]
For most of us, every penny counts, so it is almost inconceivable that we could have lost track of any money or property. Regardless of how careful we are with our finances, it is possible for utility deposits, credit balances, unused gift certificates, banks accounts, and many other types of property or money to accidentally be […]
COVID-19, often referred to as coronavirus, has been all over the news—and with good reason. As of April 13, 2020, there were over 570,000 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and more than 23,000 deaths, according to Wikepedia. We should all care for our neighbors, our communities, and ourselves by staying home, washing our hands […]
When your child is under the age of 18, you, as their parent, can make most, if not all decisions, on their behalf. However, when your child turns 18, the law views them as an adult, and you no longer have the ability to control what and how decisions are made, or even receive relevant information […]
All children are a blessing. From the day they are born, you begin making plans to ensure that your child or grandchild has a bright future. What will their interests be? What job will they have? Who will they marry? While these are common concerns for most families, for those with child or grandchild with special […]
It is important to think carefully about your ability or willingness to serve as an executor or trustee for someone else. If a family member or friend has asked you to serve as the executor of his or her estate or as trustee of a trust he or she is creating, there are a number of […]
