Plain-spoken answers to the questions families ask us. These articles are educational material, not legal advice, and shouldn’t be relied on as legal counsel.
Recently, what I considered to be a fascinating story appeared in the LA Times about some remarkable services available from a funeral home located in South Los Angeles. The Boyd Funeral Home offers many colorful, musical, and ceremonial options to accompany a funeral.
For many people, the idea of talking to an estate planning lawyer seems morbid, since the main topic of discussion most likely would be, what do you want to happen after your death?
One of my favorite media columnists Kelly Phillips Erb, recently wrote a column in Forbes about what she calls the “maddeningly complicated” new Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT). Now, my blog centers on estate planning, not tax law, but sometimes the two subjects do cross over. Ms.
It’s never easy when you lose someone close to you. And, to make matters worse, in the midst of your grief you must deal with piles of paperwork, arrangements and legal issues.
There is a special type of trust referred to as a personal residence trust (PRT), or qualified personal residence trust (QPRT). To describe it in simplified terms, creating a PRT means transferring your residence (that you own) into a trust.
There is a QTIP that is not for people needing to clean delicate areas. It is for those with a very different problem — those with the happy issue of expecting to leave substantial assets to heirs.
It is becoming more and more common that individuals are choosing to not be affiliated with any specific religion. When no such affiliation exists, some might find it difficult to know what they need or what is proper for a funeral or memorial service.
It is no surprise that it is common for agreements to be made electronically via e-mail given the “on the go” lifestyle of many. What if you found yourself liable for something simply because you had typed your name at the end of an email?
Well, you knew it was inevitable. We’ve talked about estate planning, and now we’re going to talk about the “other” thing that, according to the saying, no one can avoid: taxes. Specifically, the kinds of taxes that follow a death.
There are two different types of charitable remainder trusts, the unitrust and the annuity trust. Some time ago we addressed charitable remainder trusts, which can benefit both present and future beneficiaries and offer tax advantages too.
Often, a person with an estate of tremendous value will want to take steps to reduce the amount of taxes their beneficiaries will owe to the IRS. There are federal estate taxes and gift taxes to contend with, and there are certain trusts that can help shelter assets from being taxable.
The LA Times and other news outlets have taken note of a fascinating trend in personal grief-related expressions after a loss. Memorial vessels are now more personal than ever.