John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Life After Love Gone Wrong Podcast: Season 3, Episode 6 - Reshaping Your Legacy: Estate Planning After Your Divorce
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 13: It’s 5 o’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Will Is? A Lesson From Aretha Franklin
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Family Office Technology Solutions
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act
What is a self-proving affidavit?
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
Taking the Sting Out of Death Taxes with Dylan Metzner, Jones & Keller
Basics of Estate Planning
The Case of the Disappearing Trust
Protecting Your Estate Plan from Challenges: No-Contest Clause Explained
The Secret Child
What is the immediate importance of estate planning and why should any parent, business owner, homeowner, or those nearing retirement be focused on this issue? Why do most people delay one of the most critical financial and...more
September 2024 AFRs and 7520 Rate - The September 2024 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 4.8%, a decrease from the August 2024 rate of 5.2%. The September...more
The September 2024 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 4.8%, a decrease from the August 2024 rate of 5.2%. The September applicable federal rate (“AFR”) for use...more
When a loved one dies, the last thing you want to deal with is a lawsuit, or have your heirs inherit a lawsuit. After the death of a maternal or paternal figure that keeps the family together, tensions flare between siblings...more
Many small business owners mistakenly believe business succession planning and estate planning is for those with substantial wealth. This is simply a myth which does not reflect the nature of business or home ownership....more
Newcomers to probate litigation are frequently surprised by how differently things work in probate court, as opposed to your more straightforward civil courts. (And how do those newcomers know how civil courts work? Law &...more
You just landed your first “real” job and are looking forward to the exciting opportunities ahead. Your new job is accompanied by a 401k and opening a savings account. You have a car and you are thinking about buying your...more
Many people fear the word probate, and it is not without reason. Probate can be a tedious, expensive and lengthy process, where you are at the whim of the court’s timeline. But what is probate? Probate is when you must...more
In In re Est. of De Chavez, a party filed an application to probate a Mexican will under Texas Estates Code Section 501.001 where the decedent was domiciled in Texas at the time of her death. No. 08-23-00072-CV, 2024 Tex....more
In Mynard v. Degenhardt, a decedent’s grandson offered a will to probate, and his aunt opposed that admission due to an alleged holographic codicil that allegedly revived a previous will. No. 14-22-00773-CV, 2023 Tex. App....more
Dear Jonathan: My father, a widower, passed away a couple of months ago. Being his only child, he appointed me as his agent on his durable power of attorney so that I can handle his bill paying which I have been doing for the...more
Avoiding probate is often an important goal for many estate planning clients. Probate is the court-supervised process of administering a deceased person’s estate and transferring their property at death pursuant to the terms...more
Aretha Franklin, the legendary Queen of Soul, passed away on August 16, 2018 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 76 in Detroit, Michigan. She left a legacy marked by her incomparable music and talent, and a $6 million...more
Does the phrase “if they survive me” demonstrate a testator’s intent to avoid the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code (“MUPC”) anti-lapse statute, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 190B § 2-603? The Massachusetts Supreme...more
There’s a good chance that your estate plan includes a revocable trust — sometimes known as a “living trust.” This type of trust can help your estate avoid probate, guard your privacy and provide protection in the event...more
Trial attorney David Skidmore from Warner Norcross + Judd LLP’s Probate Litigation Practice Group, a subgroup of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, recently represented clients in a trial before the...more
Exploring the Visibility of Wills: Understanding Public Record in Estate Planning - Wills serve as vital documents outlining the distribution of finances, possessions, and property after an individual’s passing. It’s common...more
A living trust, also known as an “inter vivos” trust, is a trust that you create while you are still living. Trusts can be understood as a type of contract between the funder of the trust (“trust grantor”), the trustee, and...more
Most US homeowners and business owners understand the importance of an estate plan; they just never seem to get around to completing the task. What do you need to know about a trust? Why are trusts a central component of any...more
Traditionally, real estate must pass through a deed signed by all grantees of the last vesting deed, or if one of the grantees has passed away, then a probate proceeding allows a court to transfer title for the deceased...more
Losing a loved one is an emotional and challenging experience, and dealing with the legalities of their estate can add another layer of complexity. In New Jersey, the probate process is the legal procedure through which a...more
There are a number of considerations to make when deciding whether to proceed with a Will-based estate plan or a trust-based estate plan. First, as a general matter, there are two ways in which your estate can be distributed...more
Probate, the legal process of administering a deceased person’s estate, can be complex and challenging. During this process, a court determines whether a Will is authentic and valid and then distributes the estate to heirs or...more
If you expect to face disputes over the allocation of your loved one’s estate, retaining a probate litigation attorney might be the right choice. Here’s what you need to know about hiring an experienced attorney who can help...more
When conflict arises in the settling of an estate – especially a high-net-worth estate – the parties involved may look to the courts to help resolve the dispute. Litigation is one way to settle probate disputes, but it is...more