Recently a past client of mine called. She had inherited several pieces of farm land that had been owned by her great-grandparents. The result, is that while the great-grandparents owned 100% of the land, at their death it was divided up equally among their children. The children then divided it among their children and so […]
I’m a note-taker. Usually you will find me with a blue ink pen and legal pad in hand, ready to take notes on whatever is being discussed. Recently, I came across one of my legal pads that had the following notes: Top 10 Reasons for Creating an Estate Plan from “The Everything Wills & Estate […]
In just a few weeks, we will elect a new president. Recent polls have Hillary in the lead. Regardless of whether you agree with Bill and Hillary’s politics, we can learn a few things from them about smart estate planning strategies. A recent Time.com article reveals that Bill and Hillary have set up a variety […]
Missouri is a common sense state and most of our laws reflect that. Missouri has a whole chapter of laws dedicated to non-probate transfers. These are ways that individuals can name or designate a beneficiary and thereby avoiding probate. One of the areas I see this most often relates to vehicles owned by a deceased […]
The simple answer has 2 parts. Each individual has an “annual exclusion” that allows them to give $14,000 per year to any number of individuals, without paying any gift tax. That means a wealth grandmother can give her 3 kids $14,000 each and each of her 7 grandchildren $14,000 each. The grandmother could give $140,000 […]
A previous posting discussed Estate Tax at the federal level. It is important to know that some states impose an estate tax as well. Thankfully Missouri is not one of them. The Tax Foundation published this map which shows a 50 state survey of which states have a state estate or inheritance tax.
The best part of my job is getting to meet and know my clients and their families. Occasionally, there is some icing on the cake when a client writes you a follow up thank you card or letter. Recently I received two. With their permission, I would like to share part of their comments with […]
makerspace: noun (mākərˌspās) sometimes also referred to as hackerspace, hackspace, and fablab, a place where people with shared interests, especially in computing or technology, can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge. Good things are happening in downtown Cape. It began with the award winning renovation of Broadway (http://goo.gl/eHTpPR) and has continued […]
When possible (and most of the time it is possible), we charge our clients flat fees for estate planning work. That way, our clients will know exactly how much it will cost to have their will, trust, or other estate planning documents prepared. A Canadian court had this to say about legal services, “A person […]
Clients often ask what steps can be done to protect their assets. My typical response: “what type of asset protection are you interested in?” Most clients aren’t quite sure how to respond… they are unaware that there are different types of asset protection available. The 3 most common types of asset protection I help clients […]
