The new Tax Act makes one thing a lot simpler: you can be left alone when your spouse dies. You won’t have to ask for something from, and you don’t have to answer to, someone supposedly on your side (i.e., a trustee). In other words: you don’t need a trust for any estate tax savings […]
Have a placemat for Thursday? Just print this out. And while your Loved One is waiting for the platter to work its way down the table, he or she will get some not-very-subtle hints about a matter they refuse to discuss with you but which you’re very concerned about. It’s no joke. But in the spirit […]
On January 28, 1986, Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik and Sharon Christa McAuliffe were killed when the Challenger shuttle mission failed. We know that part. What’s not commonly known is how quickly – really how slowly – they died. According to news reports, after the initial explosion, the […]
To help you and loved ones grapple with 21st Century control and access issues, Georgia has a new Power of Attorney statute. It’s powerful if you enable it. Here’s why and how. Imagine: you wake up and realize that (a) you’re lying flat, (b) the ceiling over you isn’t in your bedroom, (c) something’s beeping, […]
Once upon a time, Jack discovered that when he and his wife Jackie were both gone, they could leave what was left of the Beanstalk1 to their child2 and grandchildren3 in an incredibly neat, tax-saving way. They filled out the papers4 so a Beanstalk Trust would be created when they died. Then they lived happily […]
As Dr. Seuss put it, “From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.” Or maybe not so funny. So here are a few legal things to consider before you head into the Wild Blue Yonder.
What do these three girls have in common? It was the summer of 1975, and the first girl, 21 years old, was on her own. She had graduated high school, found a job, and moved out of her parents’ house to live with two friends in an apartment. Life was good. Her biggest problem at […]
Trust Protectors can clean up substance abuse situations. Changes in families. Unexpected health care issues. Anything else which was impossible to anticipate when the words hit the paper and the trust was created. You can provide for Trust Protectors in virtually any kind of trust: revocable trusts, living trusts, irrevocable trusts, insurance trusts, credit shelter […]
Know a “disabled beneficiary?” A new Federal program has been adopted in Georgia for their benefit. It’s like a 529 Plan for disabled individuals. And we call this to your attention now because contributions to such a plan are limited to $14,000 a year . . . and the end of this year is fast […]
Corporate titles of your key people can really hurt you or help you. Two real cases show why. The first case: Brady and two friends were officers and employees of a company which flew small planes to ferry people from little city airports to a major airport. One day, they learned that an opportunity was […]