A new proposal regarding estate taxes has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. S.B. 309, the “For the 99.8% Act,” is sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The bill would exempt the first $3.5 million of an individual’s estate from estate taxation. (Under current law, the exemption is $5 million, doubled to $10 million through […]

Management of your law firm’s directory listings and legal profiles is vitally important to ranking highly in local search and one of the most important directories in the legal niche is AVVO. AVVO, now part of the Martindale, Nolo, and Lawyers.com brand, is an online platform where consumers can search for attorneys, research their backgrounds, […]

This is the third article in a series. The first article focused on the use of UTMA / UGMA accounts. The second article focused on 529 plans. This third article focuses on ABLE accounts. ABLE accounts are like Section 529 plans. But, while 529 plans are for education expenses, ABLE accounts (under Section 529A) are […]

Ever wonder what your company culture is? I don’t mean what you have listed on your website. What is the real, day-to-day culture of your company? What do your people think? If you don’t know, is it time to find out? Why is culture important? If we agree with Stephen Covey when he said, “always […]

The prior article in this series examined the use of UTMA and UGMA accounts. This article will focus on 529 plans. The next article in the series will examine ABLE accounts. A 529 plan, otherwise known as a qualified tuition plan, is a tax-sheltered way of saving for education. 529 plans are sponsored by states, […]

Over the years I’ve learned that more often than not, what event attendees remember most about an event is how it made them feel. A warm welcome, personalized materials, and having information available to them before they even need to ask for it will make them feel relaxed, and put their mind at ease. It’s the […]

UGMA and UTMA accounts are accounts in which a custodian holds assets for a minor. An UGMA account is one under the Uniform Gift to Minors Act. An UTMA account is one under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act. States which have such accounts have rules which can vary slightly. UGMA accounts must end when […]

In December 2018, Google announced they were shutting down Google +, their social networking platform, due to low usage. Launched in 2011, it was meant to be a social layer across all of Google’s products, an alternative to Facebook for businesses. However, Google+ was never able to garner a mass audience and was broken into separate products in […]

TOD (Transfer on Death) designations, POD (Pay on Death) designations, and beneficiary designations can be useful in the right circumstances. Each of these tools allows for an automatic transfer to the named beneficiary at the death of the owner. But these tools can have a few shortfalls. First, if the named person predeceases the owner, […]

As estate planning attorneys, you know how hard it can be to get people to discuss and plan ahead for end-of-life issues. Less than 30% of adults do any end-of-life planning, such as wills and trusts, advance medical directive and preneed funeral planning (and that’s being generous). But the Silver Tsunami of Baby Boomers is […]