HOW TO MANAGE YOUR DIGITAL ACCOUNTS AFTER YOUR DEATH-PART 1 If you have preferences about what happens to your digital footprint after your death, you need to take action. Otherwise, your online legacy will be determined for you—and not by you. If you have any online accounts, such as Gmail,...

ANNE HECHE DIES WITH CONFLICT AROUND HER WILL, LEAVING HER SONS & ESTATE IN LEGAL LIMBO—PART 1 Actress Anne Heche died this August following a tragic car accident in which she plowed her vehicle into a West Los Angeles home, where it burst into flames. After being pulled from the...

10 Common Estate Planning Mistakes Your Family Can't Afford to Make-Part 2 Read Part 1 As we discussed last time, estate planning is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. You think your situation is simple, but we've found that this is rarely the case. In part one, we highlighted five of the...

Because estate planning involves actively thinking about and planning for frightening topics like death, old age, and crippling disability, many people put it off or simply ignore it all together until it’s too late. Sadly, this unwillingness to face reality often creates serious hardship, expense, and trauma for those loved...

Why Is Transferring My Home To My Child A Bad Idea? Whether it’s to qualify for Medicaid, avoid probate, or reduce your tax burden, transferring ownership of your home to your adult child during your lifetime may seem like a smart move. But in nearly all cases, it’s actually a...

How Do I Protect My Children's Inheritance? As a parent, you’re likely hoping to leave your children an inheritance. In fact, doing so may be one of the primary factors motivating your life’s work. However, without taking the proper precautions, the wealth you pass on is at serious risk of...

What Probate Is, and Why You Want to Avoid It  Read Part 1  Unless you’ve created an estate plan that works to keep your family out of court, when you die (or become incapacitated), many of your assets must go through probate before those assets can be distributed to your...

A Brief Explanation of What Probate Is and Why You Want To Avoid It Unless you’ve created a proper estate plan, when you die, many of your assets must first pass through the court process known as probate before those assets can be distributed to your heirs. Like most court...

Explore Our Process Whether you’ve met with an estate planning lawyer before or it’s your first time, it’s important to understand how working with us is different from meeting with a traditional lawyer. Here we will explain what’s involved with our process, in hopes that it will inspire you to...

5 Changes You Should Make to Your Estate Plan in the Case of Divorce Even if the process is amicable, divorce can be one of life's most stressful events. With so many major changes taking place, it’s easy to forget to update your estate plan—or simply put it off until...

Or: Why Should Business Owners Have An Estate Plan? If you're running a business, it’s easy to give estate planning less priority than your other business matters. After all, if you’re facing challenges meeting next month’s payroll or your goals for growth over the coming quarter, concerns over your potential...

Life insurance is a key component of your family’s estate plan. It offers those who depend on you for their financial security a safety net in the event of your death. Whether those dependents include your spouse, children, aging parents, business associates, or all of the above, investing in life...

Or: Why You Need a Kids Protection Plan As we head into the third year of the pandemic, we are coming to terms with just how fragile our lives and health really are. If you haven’t gotten sick yourself, it’s almost certain you know someone who has. Many of us...

 Last week, in part one of this series we covered the first two ways DIY estate plans can fail.   Last Week, We Discussed Two Ways A DIY Estate Plan Can Go Wrong: 1. Thinking A Will Is Enough 2. Improper Execution Read Part 1  This week, we'll cover the...

Do a Google search for “digital wills” or “online estate planning” and you’ll find dozens of different websites offering low-cost, do-it-yourself (DIY) and sometimes even free estate planning documents. This includes wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. From LegalZoom® and Rocket Lawyer® to TrustandWill.com and FreeWill.com, these DIY...

Read Part 1 As we discussed previously, Bob Ross's estate planning failures left his son with next to nothing. Here in Part 2, we’ll explain the steps you can take to ensure that your loved ones don’t suffer the same fate and are able to fully benefit from all of...

 Estate Planning Issues For LGBTQ Couples—Part 2 Whether you are married or not, if you are involved in a committed partnership with another individual, estate planning is about so much more than planning for death. It’s about planning for life and ensuring your beloved will be protected and provided for...

Estate Planning Considerations for LGBTQ+ Couples Whether you are married or in a committed partnership, estate planning is about much more than planning for death—it's about planning for life. It's the way to ensure your beloved will be protected and provided for in the event of your death or incapacity....

As the host of the wildly popular The Joy of Painting TV series on PBS, Bob Ross became a pop-culture icon. Ross was as famous for his giant head of hair, soothing baritone voice, and folksy demeanor as he was for his iconic landscape paintings. Like so many other artists,...

How Can My Estate Plan Help My Blended Family? Yours, mine and ours … in today’s modern family, it’s oh so common. The blended family is the product of 2nd (or more) marriages, in which one or more of the parties comes with children from a prior marriage. And then,...