The Lifetime QTIP Trust (Or How to Maintain Control of Your Estate and Keep Spouse No. 2 Happy)

Estate planning for couples in a second or subsequent marriage can be tricky, especially if their estates are disproportionate. One solution for allowing the well-to-do spouse to maintain control of their property and wealth–but keep their other spouse happy–is the “Lifetime QTIP Trust.” The Basics of Creating a Lifetime QTIP Trust In the estate planning world a “QTIP […]

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Estate Planning Strategies to Protect Your Spouse

You have searched for and found the love of your life, maybe your first love, or maybe after a previous marriage. As you have built your life together, you have probably weathered your fair share of storms and grown stronger because of them. To prepare for the future and the possibility of no longer being around for your […]

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Your Divorce Decree: The First Step in Estate Planning

You have recently divorced your spouse and the judge has signed the divorce decree. Now what? Although you may feel as though you have spent enough time and money on lawyers, there is one last attorney you need to talk to: an estate planning attorney. If you and your former spouse had estate planning done together previously, it […]

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New Year, New Estate Plan

Welcome to 2020! A new year is a time for optimism and new opportunities. It is a time to start fresh and make sure you are headed in the right direction. But making New Year’s resolutions is not enough: Take action now to ensure that you and your family or loved ones are prepared for the future! Create […]

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Common Mistakes with DIY Estate Plans

The internet offers all the information and tools we need at our fingertips to create our own estate plan, right? For most people, this is simply not true. Several years ago, Consumer Reports®, an independent nonprofit consumer watchdog group, created wills using the forms provided by DIY websites and asked three law professors to review them. Although the […]

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Importance of Properly Revoking Powers of Attorney

It is very important to regularly review and update all of your estate planning documents. However, your financial power of attorney is one document that should be reexamined more frequently than others.  Revisiting your financial power of attorney will help ensure that the person you have appointed (your agent) is still the person you want to fill that […]

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