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 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Once Removed Episode 19: The Step-Transaction Doctrine and the Case of Smaldino
Next Generation Legacy Management - The Essence of Developing, Managing and Implementing a Plan for Future Generations
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
Charitable Bequests With Guest Stephanie Hood
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
Basics of Estate Planning
The Case of the Disappearing Trust
Protecting Your Estate Plan from Challenges: No-Contest Clause Explained
The Secret Child
Welcome to 'Splitting Heirs'
August is “National Make-a-Will” Month, the perfect opportunity to seriously consider your estate plan. Many delay this crucial task due to common misconceptions about what an estate involves. Here, we delve deeper into what...more
Kate Holbrook discovers that her chances of becoming pregnant are drastically reduced. Kate considers adoption, but a misguided social worker convinces her that her chances of being approved as an adoptive parent are limited...more
The estate-planning process can be stressful and unpleasant. Many people put drafting a will off because they don’t want to think about leaving their loved ones behind. In some cases, people think they don’t need an estate...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
While many think that crafting an estate plan like a will or a trust is a relatively straightforward matter, numerous considerations go into making an effective estate plan to provide for your loved ones....more
As background, according to MCL 700.3203(1), a person named in a will to serve as personal representation has priority of appointment unless that person is disqualified. A person is disqualified if they are unsuitable to...more
It’s not enough for the founder of a closely held business to have successfully established the business. The business has to grow, not only to increase profits, but also to make it more competitive and to diversify its...more
When thinking of creating an estate plan, here are a few things to consider before finalizing your final wishes: Should you create a Will or a Trust? The essential difference between a will and a trust is that a...more
DURING YOUR LIFE - When preparing your estate plan, it is of utmost importance to ensure that you have documents in place so your spouse or another trusted individual can make medical and financial decisions on your...more
In this episode of “Splitting Heirs,” Warren K. Racusin, partner and Chair of Lowenstein’s Trusts & Estates practice, speaks with Sharon L. Klein, EVP, President - Family Wealth, Eastern U.S. Region & Head of National Divorce...more
Winstead Shareholder David F. Johnson participated in a panel presentation entitled “When One Is Not Enough: Dividing Fiduciary Powers and Dispositions” for the State Bar of Texas’s 29th Advanced Estate Planning Strategies on...more
Offshore Trust and Estate Litigation Update Series – Part I - Trust and estate disputes in both the Cayman Islands and the BVI, and claims against the actions of a trustee/executor or disputes related to an interested...more
Forgive the title but this is written amidst the Eagles-Vikings game and on the same date as Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. Commentators noted that the Queen’s final event was more than a generation in the planning and was...more
Drew Baylor is a wildly successful athletic shoe designer for Mercury Sportwear until his world is turned askew when one of the shoes he designed is accused of having a design flaw. Mercury announces a recall; Drew becomes...more
The federal estate tax exemption provisions are set to expire at the end of 2025, potentially requiring more people to pay estate taxes. In view of the uncertainty of the estate tax laws, it is important to have estate...more
When it comes to handling your loved one’s estate, the executor has a series of important duties and responsibilities. If you suspect an executor is mishandling their responsibilities or mismanaging estate assets, you can...more
Are you planning to move to a different state? It may be due to a change in jobs, a desire for a better climate, an opportunity to downsize or to be closer to your kids. In any event, you’ll have to cope with some hassles,...more
The executor position is an important but often misunderstood role. In this webinar on estate administration, Whitney Patience O’Reilly details an executor’s duties, from locating the deceased’s will to making the final...more
Presented by Whitney Patience O'Reilly on February 16, 2021. Too often, when planning an estate, individuals and families overlook some key provisions that will better protect their families and their wishes. In this...more
The executor position is an important but often misunderstood role. In this webinar on estate administration, Whitney O’Reilly will detail an executor’s duties, from locating the deceased’s will to making the final...more
Many California trusts confer a lifetime right to income on a person (often the surviving spouse) with the remainder passing to designated survivors upon the income beneficiary’s death. When the income beneficiary dies, is it...more
In a contested estate situation, family members are mad, often fighting mad. A common client question is, “When are we going to court?” Perhaps surprisingly, our usual answer to this is, “Only when everything else has...more
Too often, when planning an estate, individuals and families overlook some key provisions that will better protect their families and their wishes. In this webinar, Whitney O’Reilly will cover the basics of a good estate plan...more
A SPA trust can improve the flexibility of your estate plan - We live in uncertain times. There’s uncertainty about the economy as well as the possibility of tax increases to address the rising federal debt. For example,...more
Nobody wants their plans frustrated or ignored by their beneficiaries, the courts or even the executors and trustees left in charge. Half a dozen new and emerging processes and laws now allow fairly easy modifications to...more