When a family member dies it is a difficult time for the entire family. Along with the grieving, there are a number of practical and legal issues that must be addressed following a death. Ideally, the deceased left behind a thorough estate plan that was discussed with the family ahead of time so there are no major surprises. Sometimes, however, things don’t work that way. Imagine, for example, that you were just informed that you are the Trustee of a testamentary trust your aunt made prior to … [Read more...]
Can Someone Contest a Trust Like They Do a Will?
Ideally, when you die your estate plan will kick in and provide a roadmap for the disposition of all your estate assets during the probate process that follows your death. Sometimes, however, the probate process does not run as smoothly as anticipated. A Will contest, for example, can significantly slow down the probate of your estate. Like many people, you may have elected to incorporate a trust into your estate plan and then transferred the majority of your assets into the trust. Can someone … [Read more...]
When Do I Need a Special Needs Trust?
As the parent or caregiver of a special needs child you undoubtedly already realize that the costs involved in caring for your special needs child can be high. Fortunately, there are numerous state and federal assistance programs that provide financial and other assistance to special needs individuals to help defray those costs. If you plan to supplement the assistance provided by these programs when your child is an adult care must be taken in the methods you use to provide that assistance to … [Read more...]
What Is a Living Will in South Carolina?
Like many people, you may have very strong opinions about medical treatment, particularly as it pertains to end of life treatment decisions. After all, we all make thousands of seemingly unimportant decisions on a daily basis so it only seems fair to be able to make important life and death decisions regarding your medical care and treatment right? What happens though if you are incapacitated and unable to tell healthcare providers what your wishes are regarding treatment? The solution is to … [Read more...]
Our Series Continues: Download Your Trust Administration Report
We understand the fact that the average layperson is probably not going to know a whole lot about estate planning. For this reason we have developed a series of informational reports that we offer to our readers here in South Carolina absolutely free of charge. The report that we are providing access to at the current time is our treatment of the subject of trust administration. When you start a revocable living trust to arrange for future asset transfers to your heirs you are taking an … [Read more...]
Our Report Explains Dangers of DIY Estate Planning
The process of estate planning is something that should be undertaken with the benefit of professional guidance. There are some things that you can do on your own with a little bit of information that you obtain over the Internet, but executing legally binding documents is not one of them. Unfortunately there are those who look for easy answers. If you are among this group you will be able to find websites that sell generic last will documents. The suggestion is that you just fill in the blanks … [Read more...]
Obtain Your South Carolina Estate Planning Report
Far too many families find themselves in difficult situations due to a provider's lack of long-term planning. There are a number of reasons why so many individuals do not take action to put an estate plan in place. One of them is the simple fact that they don't understand some of the consequences that go along with a failure to prepare for the future. To help people gain an understanding of estate planning, all that it entails, and why it is important we have prepared a report. We are offering … [Read more...]
Consult With Your Attorney Before Remarrying
Once you have been able to accumulate a significant store of financial resources you must be very diligent about preserving your wealth. If you engage the services of a good financial planning attorney you always have the support that you need when you have questions. Your attorney will gain an understanding of your situation and give you ongoing advice as you take steps to protect and build on the financial foundation that you have been able to put in place. With the above in mind life events … [Read more...]
Making Life More Comfortable for a Person With Disabilities
An inquiry was recently conducted by the respected magazine Consumer Reports that is of interest to people within the estate planning community. They wanted to find out if do-it-yourself estate planning documents were really valid replacements for wills and trusts created by licensed attorneys. Staff members created last wills using downloads or worksheets provided by three of the leading online purveyors of legal documents. Three legal professors were asked to examine these documents and share … [Read more...]
As 2012 Wanes Gifting Opportunity Fading Away
The year is rapidly coming to a close and when it does the unified gift/estate tax exclusion is going to be reduced to just $1 million. This is a very significant reduction because the exclusion has been $5.12 million throughout 2012. Because of the above giving gifts in 2012 can provide you with tax efficiency if your resources exceed $1 million in value. Once the new year arrives anything that you were to give away while you are alive or after your passing that is in excess of $1 million … [Read more...]
