Trusts

You want to leave money to your children, but the sheer amount of wealth is potentially problematic. You're going to leave them enough that they could each just live off of the trust. You're worried that such a windfall might kill their motivation. You want to help...

If your family owned land where there was oil or gas beneath the surface, no matter if the property changed hands numerous times, the mineral rights may be preserved for future generations. This can be a very lucrative source of income for heirs, which is why many...

Estate planning can be complex or simple, depending upon the individuals and assets involved. One option for preserving assets is an inter-vivos trust. Inter vivos trusts are often called living trusts. The fiduciary relationship with the trustor begins when the trust...

Parents of children with physical or mental disabilities often worry about what will happen to their children after they pass on. As it is the natural order that most parents predecease their children, this is a very valid concern. Parents can put their minds at rest...

When parents have a substantial estate to leave to their heirs, they quite naturally want to structure their estate so that it isn't squandered. Sometimes this can be difficult when one or more of the children is financially irresponsible or somewhat of a "black...

Ask any financial or legal professional to list the primary goals of estate planning and chances are very good that they'll put avoiding probate near the very top. This is largely because the probate process can prove to be highly time-consuming, very public and...

In a series of posts, we've spent some time discussing how those who find themselves wanting to donate a sizeable sum to a preferred charitable organization while retaining some fiscal benefit and realizing some tax benefits may want to consider the creation of a...

In our last post, we discussed how those looking to leave a not insubstantial amount to a favorite cause or charitable organization should consider executing what is known as a charitable trust, an estate planning mechanism that can help them both accomplish their...

When it comes to the idea of setting aside some of your hard-earned funds for a favorite charity in your estate plan, you may experience some degree of uncertainty. For example, you may worry that any decently sized amount of money set aside for charity would...

For better or worse, dynamics within families are often complex. For aging parents; a desire to leave possessions, real estate and assets to adult children may create unexpected tensions between both parents and adult children and between siblings. To mitigate...