Florida Electronic Wills Soon To Be Legal
According to the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog, Florida has enacted a new law authorizing the use of Electronic Wills effective January 1, 2020. Florida is the fourth state to authorize the creation and storage of digital Wills. However, in my opinion, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the use of such […]
Joint Trusts – A Great Planning Opportunity for Non-Traditional Couples and Blended Families
Creating an estate plan for clients who are in non-traditional relationships or are part of a blended family can be very tricky. Why is Estate Planning for Non-Traditional Couples So Tricky? Let’s assume a hypothetical fact situation where you have a women (Jane) with $4M in assets. She is a widow and has 2 children. […]
Estate Planning and Trusts – Should I put all my assets into a Trust?
I am happy to announce that we have completed our fourth video on Wills, Trusts & Estates. In this clip, Kevin A. Pollock, Esq., LLM, the head of the estate planning and estate tax department, is being interviewed by Pierson W. Backes, Esq., regarding whether you should put all of your assets into a trust. Part […]
You Can Create a Pet Trust – Just Like the One For Choupette
According to multiple news sources, when the creative director and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld died on February 19, 2019, he left his famous cat, Choupette, a significant amount of money in trust. Pet trusts are now quite common, and specifically authorized by statute in most jurisdictions. Many people consider pets as a part of the family, and want them […]
What to Think About Before Meeting With an Estate Planning Lawyer
I am happy to announce that we have finally finished creating a series of short videos regarding the estate planning and estate administration process. Here is our third video in which Kevin A. Pollock, Esq., LLM is being interviewed by Pierson W. Backes, Esq., the head of our estate litigation department, regarding the things a […]
Excellent Social Security Strategy Link
As part of the estate planning process, we frequently need to analyze how much a person is likely to have upon death. As part of an overall wealth analysis, this invariably leads to questions such as: How much are you earning now? When are you expecting to retire? How much should you gift to your […]
What is the first thing an executor of a Will should do?
I am happy to announce that we have finally finished creating a series of short videos regarding the estate planning and estate administration process. Here is our second video in which Elizabeth Ketterson, Esq., the Director of our estate administration department, is being interviewed by Kevin A. Pollock, Esq., LL.M. regarding the first things a […]
What is a Disclaimer Trust?
A Disclaimer Trust is a special type of trust often created under a Will (or as a sub-trust of a revocable living trust). In order to understand Disclaimer Trusts, you first need to understand what a disclaimer is and what happens when you make a disclaimer so that you can understand the purpose and mechanics of Disclaimer Trusts. […]
Understanding the Differences Between Special Needs Trusts and Supplemental Needs Trusts
“Special Needs Trusts” and “Supplemental Needs Trusts” are terms to describe trusts designed to provide benefits to a person in a way that will preserve the public benefits that he or she is entitled to receive. These types of trusts are most commonly created when a person has some sort of special needs or disability. […]