The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
The Secret Child
Estate Planning 101: The Five Most Important Clauses for Wills and Trusts
Ruder Ware's Elder Law Team Recognizes National Special Needs Law Month - Part 2
Everything You Need to Know About Beneficiary Designations
The Wonder Years - Rediscovering the Magic of Split Dollar Life Insurance
The period after a spouse passes away is an emotional time of mourning. However, there are a handful of estate planning adjustments that you should make to protect your estate under the new conditions....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
I received a call recently from a colleague looking to refer a client for a divorce. Our firm had done estate planning for the client and spouse, thus we were not eligible to represent either party in a marital break up as...more
As young family members head off to school or leave home for a job, parents and other relatives may wonder how they can continue to support a child or assist with health care or other decisions. Many parents are surprised...more
Margaret Schlegel and Ruth Wilcox bond over Christmas shopping, their shared attachment to their respective childhood homes and familial loyalty. Ruth enchants Margaret with stories of her ancestral home, Howards End. Ruth...more
Recent news stories have been published about two bills introduced in the Senate that, if enacted, could have a significant impact on many estate plans. These bills include proposed changes that many estate planning...more
For young adults, the inevitable is typically not at the forefront when it comes to making future plans, precluding many from giving any thought to what may happen to their assets on death. In reality, all young adults should...more
Charitable giving in 2021 - Plan carefully to maximize the tax benefits - In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers enacted the CARES Act to provide some relief to the ailing economy. One of its provisions,...more
If you’re a small business owner, you probably don’t have a minute to spare in your busy workday, especially if you’re struggling to recover after a turbulent 2020. Estate planning may be one of the last things on your mind. ...more
Don’t overlook foreign assets when planning your estate - You’d be surprised how often people fail to disclose foreign assets to their estate planning advisors. They assume that these assets aren’t relevant to their “U.S.”...more
This is a surrealistic time for most of us, but we will come out on the “other side” and we still need to plan for the future. We should continue to take at least basic steps to plan our estates, like preparing wills and/or...more
We hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. We previously noted that the coronavirus "lock down" is causing many of our clients to re-think their existing estate plans. In the past, certain estate...more
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has given reason for us to not only make sure our estate plans reflect current wishes, but also to seek potential opportunities for smart tax planning. In the words of Albert Einstein,...more
Now or later - When’s the right time to transfer your wealth? - To gift or not to gift? It’s a deceptively complex question. The temporary doubling of the gift and estate tax exemption — to an inflation-adjusted...more
Depending on who you believe, as many as three million bitcoins are currently “irretrievable” (approximately £20 billion worth at today’s prices). The most common reasons cited for this are lost retrieval codes (known as...more
Do you own a vacation home? If yes, do you own it alone or with others? Are you thinking of buying a vacation home? Will you be inheriting a vacation home? Many of us fall in love with an existing vacation spot or the...more
When You Hear the Term “Estate Planning”, Do You Think: “I don’t need an estate plan because I don’t have very much,” “My wishes are simple, I can just jot down what I need,” “I know someone who said they used a Will...more
People often ask “Why do I need a trust?” Some folks think they can get by with a simple will. Here is why you probably need more than that...more
It is speculated that Choupette Lagerfeld, the pampered Parisian pet of the iconic late German fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld, may have a stake in Lagerfeld’s vast fortune....more
When the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed, significant changes were made to the Federal Estate, Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax, the most prominent of which is the increased applicable exclusion amount, which...more
I’m writing this in Wilmington, North Carolina at a time when many in this area still are struggling after Hurricane Florence. The weekend before the storm was bright and sunny. I would have rather gone to the beach, but...more
No estate plan is complete without a will. But what provisions should be included in it? This article explores the basic provisions of a will and how it should address estate taxes and specific bequests. A sidebar discusses...more
For those in the middle of a divorce, the last thing on their mind is a review of their estate plan. However, a major life change, such as a divorce, is a critical time to update an estate plan so that wishes are carried out...more
Estate planning for families who have children with special needs is similar to estate planning for families who do not have special needs children. From an estate tax perspective, the considerations do not differ. The key,...more
February Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intra-Family Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The February § 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs...more