Do You Need an Estate Plan?
It’s been awhile since I wrote about a question as simple as “do you need an estate plan?” However, yesterday I received a call from a potential client who was frustrated because his wife of 40 years needed to be hospitalized and the doctors and staff at the hospital would not provide him with any […]
Love giving to Charity? The Charitable Remainder Trust May be Just What You Need
A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a friend of mine who has several clients with low-basis, highly appreciated stocks. They were looking to diversify, minimize taxes, provide some additional income, and keep some level of control over their investments. I initially thought a charitable remainder trust would be a great option… And […]
Should You use a Joint Tenancy With Right of Survivorship as an Estate Planning Tool?
A joint tenancy with right of survivorship is a way that several people can hold legal title to an asset such as a piece of property, a bank or investment account, or even a car. When two or more people own a bank account or piece of property as joint tenants with right of survivorship, […]
Last Minute Tax Tips to Reduce Your 2017 Tax Bill [Updated]
We are almost to the end of 2017, and this year we may have some much bigger changes coming our way in 2018 than in a typical tax year. For that reason, you may want to pay close attention to this post. The reason we have so many changes coming is that Trump’s Tax Reform […]
Privacy and Estate Planning
I’m amazed at the number of clients I have that have not truly considered the privacy implications of their estate plans. From the dawn of time, humans have been concerned about privacy. Privacy keeps us safe from predators, enemies, and even in some cases, our closest friends. But at the same time, many people forget about […]
What is a Power of Attorney and Why is it so Important?
I’ve done a lot of posts on this blog talking about powers of attorney in North Carolina, what they are, why they are important, and why you need to have one. I’ve even talked about some of the pitfalls and mistakes people make with powers of attorney. I’ve had a number of clients recently that have […]
Why Estate Planning is so Important to Me, and Why It Should Be Important to YOU too
Today I wanted to take a minute to talk to you about why estate planning is so important to me, and why it should be important to you too. So many people just pass off estate planning as something they need to do, but never actually get around to doing it. Frankly, this is a […]
Why Updating Beneficiary Designations Does NOT Count as Estate Planning
Today I did a quick Facebook Live Video to discuss something that is really ticking me off lately. Let me be clear – just because you have updated beneficiary designations does NOT mean you have a good estate plan in place! Watch the whole video for my reasons why… Full Transcript – Why Beneficiary Designations […]