Investment & Distribution Trustees: Why Would I Need Both? When creating a trust, it is common to name yourself as the initial trustee who is responsible for all aspects of administering the trust. However, when considering who will take over when you can no longer act (either because of illness or death), it is [...]

Have An Etsy Store? Make Sure It Is Properly Protected The online marketplace Etsy has gone from a niche craft seller to one of the largest commerce companies in the world. Etsy has millions of active sellers worldwide, most of whom are based in the United States. Many Etsy sellers rely on the site [...]

Was Your Loved One a Book Lover? Think Twice Before You Throw Them Out An individual’s belongings—such as jewelry, furniture, photographs, and books—sometimes slip through the cracks of their estate plan. While certain books may be gifted to a beneficiary in a loved one’s will, a book lover may leave behind other books that [...]

Integrating a Community Property Trust Into Your Estate Plan Careful, trust-based estate planning is the best way to ensure the highest quality of life for you and your loved ones. But, a well-crafted estate plan consists of many parts. Couples with highly appreciated accounts or property (something that is worth more now than when [...]

Three Things You Must Do To Protect Your Family If You Are Recently Unemployed If you have recently lost your job, you are not alone! Inflation has skyrocketed in the United States over the past couple of years. Some smaller businesses have not been able to survive the increased expenses, putting employees out of [...]

Why Can’t We Have a Joint Trust If We Are Not Married? Joint trusts are beneficial for many married couples, especially if they have a stable relationship, do not have many creditors, and do not live in a state where their estate may be subject to a state death tax. Compared to separate trusts, [...]

The Death Of Raquel Welch & What Her Estate Plan Is (Or Might Be) Raquel Welch, whose acting career spanned five decades, passed away in February at the age of eighty-two. Welch appeared in more than thirty films and fifty television series, won a Golden Globe Award, and has a star on the Hollywood [...]

Planning a Barbecue Is Like Planning Your Estate For many, Memorial Day weekend signals the beginning of summer and enjoying warm-weather activities, including backyard barbecues with friends and family. Although a cookout may be an informal affair, planning is crucial to its success. This is true for estate planning, too. Just as preparations are [...]

National Home Remodeling Month: How Remodeling Your Home Could Impact Your Estate Plan Spring is associated with renewal, and as the weather gets warmer, many homeowners turn their attention to renovation projects.  Each May, the home remodeling industry and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) celebrate National Home Remodeling Month. In 2023, over [...]

Mental Health Awareness Month: How An Estate Plan Can Help Improve Anxiety How Estate Planning Can Help Reduce Anxiety About The Future Roughly one in five US adults experiences a mental illness each year. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions, affecting nearly one-third of adults at some point in their [...]