Estate Administration 101
For Executors and Maybe Trustees Losing a loved one is hard. But if you’re an executor or trustee hopefully this step-by-step guide to Estate Administration will ease the burden of knowing the business of what to do when a close family member or friend dies. Whether or not your loved one has a will or …
Is Your Will Out of Date? Want Peace of Mind?
In just 20 Minutes You Can Have A Free Will Review and Make Sure That Your Old Will, Trust, and Power of Attorney Aren’t Out of Date or Invalid Unruh, Turner, Burke and Frees Offers Free Will Reviews This Fall Have you been wondering if that old will, trust, or …
MAKE SURE YOUR TRUSTEES CAN NAME A CO-TRUSTEE OR THEIR SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE
Co Trustee vs Successor Trustee It is important to make your estate planning documents flexible. As best as possible, we try to foresee the future and address the planning possibilities. We know it is not possible to address everything now for a trust that could be in place 10, 20, 50 or 100 years from …
$5 Million Gift Tax Exemption Makes Gifting of Small Business Easier
Many families have developed significant wealth in closely held small businesses. Historically, it has been difficult to transfer these small businesses because of the relatively low gift tax exemption available to the person or persons making the gift. For 2011 and 2012 the unified gift and death tax exemption is $5 million per person. Therefore, …
How Do I Avoid The Federal Estate Tax For My Heirs?
The federal estate tax has been in the news a lot this past year. Whether you like it or not it is here for at least the next couple of years.
Second Marriage Estate Planning: The Sprinkle Trust
There are many families blending children from multiple marriages. The children from these families often range widely in ages. Parents I meet with often want to provide for only the younger children until they reach a certain age. Their belief is typically that the younger children have greater needs and should have the benefit of …
Which Side Are You On? Is Marcellus Shale Drilling Good For You?
There have been a series of New York Times stories on Marcellus Shale and “fracking” and how gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania has polluted rivers or ground water. But, many Pennsylvania regulators like Commissioner John Hanger of the Department of Environmental Protection does not think “fracking” is so bad. A testing done …
Don't Smoke In Your Shower?
Smoking In Your Shower? And Other Silly Marcellus Shale Stories