You have recently divorced and the judge has signed the divorce decree. Now what? Although you may feel as though you have spent enough time and money on lawyers, there is one last attorney you need to talk to: an estate planning attorney. If you and your former spouse had estate planning done together previously, it […]
Estate planning is the process of developing a strategy for the care and management of your estate if you become incapacitated or upon your death. One commonly known purpose of estate planning is to minimize taxes and costs, including taxes imposed on gifts, estates, generation skipping transfer and probate court costs. However, your plan must also […]
Today we are sharing a post from The Voice, the email newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member, Lee M. Holmes, of Holmes, Holmes and Neisent, PLLC in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The law firm’s practice focuses on planning for persons with disabilities, estate planning, Medicaid and elder law. […]
Leaving your hard-earned assets outright to your children, grandchildren, or other beneficiaries after you die may seem like the easiest and most desired form of distribution. Unfortunately such a scheme will make their inheritance easy prey for creditors, predators, and divorcing spouses. Instead, consider using discretionary trusts for the benefit of each of your beneficiaries. What […]
It is common knowledge that everyone needs to have an estate plan in place. Usually, the focus is on assets, taxes, and any changes to legislation that may affect the security of your loved ones in the event of your incapacity or death. What many often forget, however, is that changes in family dynamics and circumstances […]
Many people who put together an estate plan do so when they start a family – assuming they put an estate plan together at all during their lifetime. While putting an estate plan together is a good thing to do, many people make few updates once the plan has been created, despite other key life changes […]
Last week, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling on a case involving life insurance beneficiary designations after divorce. Mark Sveen had named his wife as the beneficiary of his life insurance policy. They got divorced, but Mr. Sveen did not update the beneficiary. Court ruled that divorce invalidated the beneficiary designation in favor of […]
