The Plain English Attorney Blog
Far too many attorneys overcomplicate things, making topics convoluted and difficult to understand to the average person. This blog is committed to explaining legal planning topics in an easy to understand format, in plain English. Enjoy the blogs, and please let us know if there is a topic you would like covered.
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Far too often, the general public has ideas about estate planning they get from popular television shows, to the point they believe that it is mandatory to have a lawyer read the will to a well-dressed family in front of a roaring fireplace with everyone sipping brandy from large sifter glasses....
The keystone to our law office's estate planning process is my book Estate Planning Basics, provided as required reading for every Estate Strategy Session with clients wishing to discuss their estate planning goals. That in combination with filling out a basic questionnaire means our...
Millennials have unique challenges that Boomers and Gen X have not had to face. These challenges include financial, legal, and family problems including estate planning issues probably unthought of by Boomers and the generations before them. The checklist includes:
- Having forgone college,...
“Probate fees in our state are not that high.” Unfortunately, I hear this from some attorneys who focus their practice on handling probate, and probate is exactly what you get when you rely on a Last Will and Testament for your estate plan. Considering the massive attorney's fees...
This question keeps coming up... "Does a trust need a separate taxpayer identification number?" It depends. In general...
* Revocable Living Trusts do not need an EIN/Taxpayer ID if the Trustor(s) are still alive
* Irrevocable Trusts generall DO need a separate EIN
* Hybrid Irrevocable...
When it comes to special government programs, what on the surface appears to be a good deal may not really be to your advantage or especially to your estate beneficiaries. Unfortunately, chances are that you are already invested in once these “deals” That is, unless you know all of...
I was recently asked to spell out the basic things that every senior should have in place, and I came up with eight specific items. While there are certainly more, this is a broad list of the most important legal and practical items.
- Have Estate Document In Place: There are actually several...
Sometimes, getting a pile of money can do more harm than good. The younger a gift recipient is, the greater the risk the money is wasted, or, even worse, the money is spent on drugs or to facilitate bad life choices. Unfortunately, the top three gifting options people choose for younger...
