Estate Planning

One of the many factors to consider when setting up a trust is whether to make it a grantor trust or a non-grantor trust. While a grantor trust is more common, a non-grantor trust can be useful in certain circumstances. ...

While an inheritance is usually desired, there are many different circumstances in which it might be unwelcome. If you don’t want an inheritance, you must disclaim it. We share reasons shy people might do this.

Serving as a trustee of a trust can be a huge responsibility, so trustees are entitled to compensation for their work. The amount of compensation depends on the type of trustee and the complexity of the trust. ...

Acting as an agent under a power of attorney is a significant responsibility. Certainly, not everyone can, or wants to, take on this particular role. Thankfully, it is possible to resign or refuse the position.

The amount you can gift to any one person without filing a gift tax form is increasing to $16,000 in 2022, the first increase since 2018. The federal estate tax exclusion is also climbing to more than $12 million per individual.

Elder law and estate planning serve two different -- but equally vital -- functions. Elder law mainly focuses on preserving assets during your lifetime, while estate planning looks at what happens to assets after death.

Everyone should have a durable power of attorney in place that appoints someone to act for them if they become unable to do so. However, in some circumstances, this legal document may not be enough. In these cases, setting up...

With the fate of the estate tax exemption uncertain, you may want to use the current large exemption to transfer assets to a trust to benefit your spouse. A spousal lifetime access trust (SLAT) can help transfer assets outside of...

What happens if you become incapacitated and are unable to voice your opinion on your health care? If you don’t have a health care proxy or guardian in place, state law chooses who can make those decisions.