The State of New Jersey quietly updated the law with respect to the appointment of a Funeral Representative. Under the old law in order to designate a Funeral Representative, the only way to do so was by inserting a provision in your Will. The problem with the old law was that you cannot probate a […]
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 […]
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 first video “Why you Should Have A Will” talks about the importance of having a Will.
Effective January 1, 2018, New Jersey repealed its estate tax. The question then become how does this affect you and do you need to do anything about it? For most people the change is a positive one because it means their heirs pay less taxes and they do not need to do anything to update […]
I was talking to another estate planning recently and discussing how much of our work involves assisting clients who have blended families. Blended families generally refers to clients who are married but at least one of the spouses has a child from a previous relationship. In comparing stories and ways that we can assist clients, […]
I occasionally get asked if it is really necessary to hire an attorney to prepare simple estate planning documents. Usually, the answer is NO, however, I find that once I start asking a few questions, most people really don’t need a simple Will and they would be much better served with professional guidance. Let me […]
Many estate planning commentators have joked that estate tax portability will lead to rich individuals marrying others simply to make use of their estate tax exemption. — I have found, in practice, that planning can be far more complicated. Let me take you through a common situation that I am dealing with: I represent a […]
In most states, when a person is named as an executor in the Will, the executor has an affirmative duty to defend the Will from Will contests. For example, if mom dies testate leaving her entire estate to child one, cutting out child number two, and child number two sues to say the Will is […]
Clients frequently ask me for advice on who they should name as Executor, Trustee or Guardian when creating their Last Will and Testament. First, let me explain the difference between the three roles. The Executor The Executor is the person who probates your Will, goes into your house and looks through all your things, safeguards […]