Estate Planning Considerations for Restauranteurs If you are a restaurant owner, like most other small business owners, you have many demands on your time. Your schedule may be even more demanding than most, and your working hours may extend far beyond the typical working day. Nevertheless, it is very important for you to set aside [...]

Can a Non-U.S. Citizen Create an Estate Plan in the U.S.? The United States has experienced a surge in immigration since 1970, and there are now approximately 45 million foreign-born people living in the United States. Some of them have become U.S. citizens, but many non-citizens live in the United States as well. In 2019 [...]

Unclaimed Property -What is it, Where to find it, and Its Impact on Estate Planning and Administration For most of us, every penny counts, so it is almost inconceivable that we could have lost track of any money or property. Regardless of how careful we are with our finances, it is possible for utility deposits, [...]

COVID-19: A Reminder of Why Estate Planning Is Important Coronavirus has been all over the news—and with good reason. For some people, it can turn into a serious illness if contracted. Thankfully, for the great majority of people who have contracted the disease, the symptoms appear to be relatively mild. Nevertheless, it is crucial for [...]

National Genealogy Day: Investigate the Past and Impact the Future Genealogy has long fascinated many people, and it continues to be studied by those who are interested in discovering who they descended from and what those family members were like. Many of us have gazed at black and white or sepia-tone photos of ancestors whose [...]

Ancillary Probate: When Is It Used, Where It Occurs, and How to Avoid It Many people own property in more than one state—perhaps a vacation home in Florida, a rental property in a former home state, or even a car titled in another state. It is important to think about how that property will be [...]

Writing Your Own Obituary as an Addition to Your Estate Plan An obituary can be much more than just a dry announcement of the time and location of your funeral or memorial service. It can be a way to share your life story, communicating information about significant events and people, as well as important values [...]

Spring Cleaning: Time to Clean Up Your Estate Planning Your estate plan, like your home, periodically needs a thorough polishing. Your life circumstances are constantly changing, and an estate plan that perfectly met your needs a couple of years ago may now be cluttered with outdated provisions or documents. With spring fast approaching, now is [...]

Reconsidering Your Role in Others’ Estate Plans (How to Say No) It is important to think carefully about your ability or willingness to serve as an executor or trustee for someone else. If a family member or friend has asked you to serve as the executor of his or her estate or as trustee of [...]

Estate and Gift Tax Clawbacks: Taking Advantage of Current Laws Before the Law Changes Again In 2017, when Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, it doubled the gift and estate tax exclusion amount, but that law is set to expire on December 31, 2025. How does this temporary change affect gifting strategies between [...]