I met with a mother and her daughter not long ago. We were discussing updating the mother’s estate plan, which was long overdue since her husband had passed away over a decade ago. As we discussed potential updates to the estate plan, the mother started to ask me what I thought of the Neptune Society. For those of you who do not know, the … [Read more...]
Do You Like Scary Movies? Is Your Estate Plan Scary, Too?
October means Halloween will be here soon. I always loved going trick-or-treating as a kid, probably because of the candy...I still like candy as an adult, but for some reason people are not keen on giving candy to me now if I go out trick-or-treating on Halloween, as an adult. I suppose I am not as cute as a kid, even if I have a cool costume! … [Read more...]
Not All Estate Plans Are the Same – Make Sure You Have the Right Tool for the Job
I recently was having a conversation with my friend who told me about a time right after he moved to Colorado. It went something like this: “I was so blown away at the scene I witnessed while walking out of my church in Lafayette after a snowstorm. I had just moved to Colorado and was new to the area and checking out new churches. This church … [Read more...]
Don’t Lose Your Messaging: How To Be As Clear As You Can With Your Estate Plan
2020 has been a crazy year. A pandemic, an election year, social unrest, fires, ash raining down from the sky, and a snowstorm on September 8th, protests concerning racial inequaliites, protests of government action, or inaction, and protests that have devovled into vandalism, rioting, looting, assault, and murder. There has been a lot to take … [Read more...]
What Do You Have to Lose? Protecting What Is Most Important In Your Estate Plan
I was talking to my friend the other day, and related the following quote from Steve Jobs: "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." I am fairly sure that had I not been an estate planning attorney, the quote would not have been all that intriguing to me, but I … [Read more...]
How To Legally Protect Your House & Cover Long Term Medical Costs
A few years ago, I heard a commercial on the radio exhorting people to use a Realtor to buy or sell their house. The commercial’s reasoning was that Realtors have a higher level of training and education. The commercial talked about how your house is often your most valuable asset, and that a Realtor could help you in protecting your house. … [Read more...]
Don’t Forget Someone! What Happens if All Children are Not Named in an Estate Plan?
In January, I heard the news that NBA legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash. I was shocked at the news, as was most everyone else that I knew. My cousin’s husband, who played in the NBA for a while, spoke about playing against Kobe Bryant with reverence, as Kobe Bryant was certainly an excellent basketball player. Something like … [Read more...]
Strange Musings in Estate Planning: Why Do I Have So Many Filing Cabinets, and Why are there More Now Than Ever Before?
When I first started my law practice, I just had my computer, my cell phone, and the idea that I wanted to work on my own. After I started to find clients, I realized a good business practice would be to hold onto paper copies of documents I prepared once they were signed and completed. I needed a filing cabinet. Not exactly the “latest … [Read more...]
Preparing Your Estate Plan Will Not Cause Your Death
Whenever I sign an estate plan, I generally tell clients that I don’t want them to use it for the next 30 or 40 years, and we laugh. I use humor to defuse tension related to discussing your own demise - that is just my style. Nobody likes to talk about their own death. The topic is uncomfortable, and many children don’t want to talk about losing … [Read more...]
Enjoy the Benefits of Personally Working With an Estate Planning Attorney
Last weekend I went up into the mountains and looked at a couple of mountain homes / cabins to potentially purchase. I have always been a bit jealous of friends whose families had cabins, and they got to go up to the cabin for a weekend, or longer during the summer. Thus, the trip into the mountains to see what was available. I had looked up … [Read more...]
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