Eight Useful Tips for Bringing Up Estate Planning

Estate Planning and Elder Law

Unless you’re certain your parents have an up-to-date will, as well as a big-picture plan for what should happen in the event of their passing, you shouldn’t assume everything will be taken care of.  During this season of upcoming holidays, Read More …

Estate Planning: Considerations When You Have a Stepfamily

Step family Estate Planning

Ideally, when a second marriage joins two families together, it should be a joyous occasion that creates one bigger blended family unit. Unfortunately, when the estate plan lacks clarity, it too often also creates inheritance fights between stepparents and children. Read More …

Can You Name Minors as Your Beneficiaries?

minor as beneficiary

Most people want to pass their assets to their children or grandchildren, so should you name a minor as your beneficiary? No. Naming a minor as a beneficiary can have unintended consequences. It is important to make a plan that Read More …

Planning Your Estate? Don’t Let the Perfect Be the Enemy of the Good.

When to start estate planning

There are many unknowns when planning an estate, but you can’t let the uncertainties get in the way of creating any kind of plan. Having an imperfect plan is usually better than having no plan at all. When many of Read More …

How to Create an Estate Plan to Benefit a Child with Special Needs

Special Needs Planning Attorney

People not familiar with children with special needs often find it surprising when we explain our areas of expertise are estate planning, long term care planning, elder law and special needs planning.  They usually haven’t considered that children with disabilities Read More …

Important Change Affects Special Needs Planning: Stretch IRAs Eliminated.

Update Special Needs Planning

A stretch IRA was an estate planning strategy that applied to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) inherited by a non-spouse, such as a child beneficiary. By using the stretch strategy, IRAs could be passed on, taking advantage of tax-deferred and/or tax-free Read More …

Updating Your Beneficiaries. Estate Planning Tips from Joseph Motta.

Changing Beneficiary Designation

Many people periodically update their wills or other estate plans, but don’t update who will receive distributions from their retirement plans (such as IRAs and 401(k)s) upon their deaths. Every year you should review your entire estate plan, and the Read More …