Assets owned by an individual provide the landscape for an Estate Plan. A qualified estate planning attorney might recommend certain techniques because of the type of assets a client owns. In addition, the attorney may recommend the use of various entities, like a trust, to hold title to those assets. This is the second part […]

Being a personal representative for an estate is a big job. Years ago, my husband Dave and I agreed to be the backup healthcare power of attorney (POA) and personal representatives for an elderly couple we knew through our synagogue. Sid and Jeanne were delightful, thoughtful, well-organized people. Their only daughter had died in a […]

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys (the “Academy”) held its Spring Summit in the Lone Star State. It was fitting that we held this Summit in the Friendship State because more than anything else, the Academy celebrates friendship and camaraderie. When I deplaned in Austin, I knew that the upcoming conference would bring something […]

The parent-child relationship is pretty well defined. Children generally don’t advise their parents. It’s the other way around. However, this dynamic can shift as parents get older and children become adults. This becomes especially prevalent when considering estate planning and elder law issues. As parents grow older, adult children may start to have certain questions […]

It’s impossible to fully understand Estate Planning without considering the goals of the clients, along with their underlying assets. After all, many of the more advanced Estate Planning techniques depend upon obtaining discounts for assets and considering which technique to recommend based on a client’s assets. Some clients lack specific knowledge regarding not only the […]

Are you struggling with… Unproductive meetings that lack focus or purpose? Projects that get pushed off or stall out indefinitely? Lack of clarity on success indicators for your practice? Not achieving your financial goals? Everyone’s time and energy focused on non-important/urgent fires vs. more profitable activities? Lukewarm team engagement due to communication breakdowns, lack of […]

Attorneys often answer questions relating to the validity of Estate Planning documents. Sometimes, the testator or grantor simply wants to ensure that the documents carry out their last wishes. Other times, a beneficiary questions the terms or amount of their inheritance. Finally, loved ones have concerns that the Estate Plan does not accurately reflect the […]

Creating a social media marketing calendar for your law firm can certainly be challenging! There’s so much to consider when deciding how best to adapt your content for each social media channel: engaging topics, appropriate content formats, posting schedules, and the best times to post on each platform. If all that weren’t enough, each social […]

A cohesive Estate Plan focuses on the distribution of assets and the naming of fiduciaries to carry out the plan upon the death of the Grantor or Testator. Qualified Estate Planning attorneys understand that taxes and the payment thereof play an important role as well. Often, even those individuals whose gross estate falls below the […]

We just wrapped up one of our Academy Boot Camps for Members and Non-Members… and I just had to have a place to say this. It absolutely would not be possible without the hours and hours of dedication and hard work of a LOT of people who never actually meet the attendees in many cases. […]