Beastie Boys musician Adam Yauch recently passed on. He added handwritten language to his Will in an attempt to limit the use and sale of his image or music for advertising and commercial purposes. This was not done properly by an experienced estate planning attorney, but was only a handwritten addition on the Will document itself... [Read More]
Steven developed a thorough plan to meet our complicated needs with a blended family and special needs child in a timely manner. - Cheryl F.
Mr. Jackson made a tough process easy and painless! - Kyle M.
"Integrity, trust - a rare item - it's here! - Ron F.
Keep Your Estate Plan Current!
Thomas Kincaid, famous for being the “Painter of Light”, recently passed on. He had been separated from his wife for two years and his divorce case had not been settled. Mr. Kincaid had a girlfriend that he had lived with for eighteen (18) months who he reportedly planned to marry when his divorce was final. ... [Read More]
Access to Aged Parents
Sometimes there will be friction between adult children or step parents and an aged child which will preclude access to an adult child’s parent, especially if that adult parent is in a weakened condition mentally or physically. I had a friend call me recently where the octogenarian “wicked step mother” was limiting this middle aged... [Read More]
Don’t Wait to Do Estate Planning
Some people are waiting for the Estate Code to settle. The Bush Tax Cuts of May 2001 expire January 1, 2013. At that time, the Estate Tax exemption goes back down to roughly $1 million. Therefore, any assets you own valued at more than $1 million could be subject to federal and state Estate Tax... [Read More]
Taxes Increased Under Obamacare for Investors
Forgotten in the most of the political back and forth over Obamacare, President Obama’s health care law that was passed during his first two years in office while his party held both the White House and both Houses of Congress, was that there is a tax inside that bill. Most of the news has been... [Read More]
Estate Planning for Blended Families Is an Adventure
Any time you are doing Estate Planning for Blended Families, it is always a balancing act. You have to balance the couple’s desire to take care of each other vs. their desire to take care of their children from their previous marriage. As usual, a Revocable Living Trust is the best foundational Estate Planning tool. ... [Read More]
Ready or Not, Here It Comes
Studies show that 75% of us do not even have a current Will, let alone the needed legal planning in the event we become sick and our loved ones are unable to authorize medical treatment for us. Nor do we have the proper legal planning in place for loved ones and friends to ask medical... [Read More]
Adult Guardianship Is a Custody Case
Adult incompetency proceedings, also know as guardianship cases, consist of two parts. Both parts are court proceedings in Probate Court or before the Clerk of Superior Court in North Carolina. The Clerk of Superior Court is also the Probate Judge in North Carolina. There are two major parts of the guardianship case. The first is... [Read More]
Asset Protection – Do It Right!
I know a very bright and courageous entrepreneur who is trying to do Asset Protection, but they are being taken advantage of. Unfortunately, this very bright person has bought into the “seminar circuit” and has attended seminars by a national speaker who travels and hits some high points, tells some horror stories about asset protection... [Read More]
Your Living Trust and Dementia or Alzheimer’s
You can plan within your Living Trust to remain in control in the event you become mentally incapacitated by dementia or Alzheimer’s. You can plan for Mental Disability in the form of having a panel which would consist of a physician and family members or friends to decide if they need to turn on the... [Read More]