If you're tempted to use a DIY estate planning service or have already created a plan you aren't 100% confident in, be sure to read how these three simple mistakes can derail your estate plan and leave your family with an expensive mess. We regularly meet with clients who ask us to review an esta...
I know discussing topics like death, incapacity, and other potentially frightening life events, with someone like me, an estate planning lawyer, may feel intimidating or even morbid. Take a deep breath and relax… it doesn't have to and shouldn't be that way. Hiring a lawyer to help you make wise ...
If you are running a business, it's easy to prioritize estate planning less than your other business matters. After all, if you're facing challenges meeting next month's payroll or your goals for growth over the coming quarter, concerns over your potential incapacity or death can seem far less ur...
Trusts are often underused or misused tools for business owners, as they can provide a range of tax, asset protection, and succession planning benefits, when established and maintained in the right way. As a Personal Family Lawyer® who also focuses on serving business owners, I can help you choos...
Vacations can be the perfect opportunity to relax, disconnect from work and responsibilities, and enjoy your spouse, partner, kids' or friend's company. But before you head off on your next getaway, there's something else you should consider doing that might not sound quite as fun—creating an est...
As the world and its laws continue to evolve, everyone needs to keep their estate plans up to date. An estate plan is a set of documents, such as a will or trust, that dictate how assets will be distributed upon death or incapacity. An individual's current legal and financial situation should be ...
Keeping your finances in order is crucial for the success of your business. Even if you're running a small operation, bookkeeping is a critical component that cannot be overlooked. While it may not be the most exciting task, it's important to ensure accuracy to avoid costly mistakes that could hu...
As a business owner, you may want to keep your personal information private and out of the public record. Luckily, if you want to run your own business but prefer to stay out of the spotlight, there's a solution to this problem that many business owners use - nominee services. Nominee services al...
Making important decisions for aging parents can be a challenging task, but power of attorney (POA) can provide peace of mind and clarity in times of need. POA enables individuals to make crucial decisions on behalf of their parents, such as managing their finances or making medical decisions, wh...
As a parent, you are quite accustomed to managing your children's legal and medical affairs, as circumstances require. If your child requires urgent medical attention while away from you, a simple phone call authorizing care can do the trick. But what happens when those “children” turn 18, now ad...
To run a business successfully, it is necessary to create various financial documents, including cash flow and profit and loss (P&L) statements. Doing this enables business owners to understand their business's current financial health and make appropriate changes to improve company performance. ...
Client contracts, or agreements, refer to legal agreements between businesses and consumers. They help establish expectations for the individuals who use a business's products or services. Additionally, they outline what customers can do if they have an issue with the product or service, includin...
If you have a current estate plan, I'll bet you plan to leave your assets to your children outright and unprotected by age 35, or maybe a little later. Go take a look at your estate plan, and see what it does right now. And, if you don't have an estate plan, and you have kids or other people you ...
If you dream of one day retiring from your business, selling it, or leaving your company to your family, there are essential planning steps to take care of today, no matter how far away you think that time may be. Even if you are just starting, beginning with the end in mind will set your busines...
In most cases, from the most sophisticated business people with the highest net worth to those just starting in the workforce and on their path to adulthood, you very likely do not know how to evaluate estimates when shopping for an estate plan. Shopping for an estate plan based on getting the lo...
Like most people, you likely think estate planning is just one more task to check off your life's endless “to-do” list. You can shop around and find a lawyer to create planning documents for you or create your own DIY plan using online documents. Then, you'll put those documents into a drawer, me...
Regardless of the industry you are in, the reality of being a business owner is that you open yourself up to a number of unique risks that most people don't have to worry about—and the more successful your business is, the more risks you face. Unfortunately, most business owners aren't fully awar...
Being asked by a loved one to serve as Trustee for their Trust upon their death can be quite an honor, but it's also a significant responsibility—and the role is not for everyone. Indeed, serving as a Trustee entails a broad array of duties, and you are both ethically and legally required to exec...
One of the main reasons to up your business as a corporation or limited liability company (LLC) is to shield your personal assets from debts and other liabilities incurred by your business. Corporations and LLCs exist as separate legal entities from their owners, allowing the business to acquire ...
Paying your children—whether they're tweens, teens, or young adults—to work for your company is one of the greatest advantages of running a family business. By hiring your kids, you can help them develop a strong work ethic, give them experience managing money, and jumpstart their ability to save...
Investing in life insurance is a foundational part of estate planning, and when done right it's a primary way to say “I love you” to your loved ones after you are gone. However, when naming your policy's beneficiaries, several mistakes can lead to potentially dire consequences for the people you'...
You've probably heard you need a trust to keep your family out of court and maybe out of conflict in the event of your death or incapacity. And, if you haven't, you are hearing it now. If you own any “probatable” assets in your name at the time of your incapacity or death, your family must go to ...
Far too many aspiring entrepreneurs jump-start their businesses without taking the time to plan properly. Just as a builder uses a blueprint to ensure a new construction project will be structurally sound, a carefully researched and well-thought-out business plan allows you to determine whether o...
When it comes to estate planning and wills, you have a variety of options for legal documents. The most common of these options is a “last will and testament,” which is also known simply as a “will.” But you may have also heard people talk about a “living will” and wonder what that is, and whethe...
Starting a business is exciting, but it can quickly become a stressful situation if the owners can't agree. This is especially true when it comes to closely held businesses, such as LLCs, with two equal owners. In these situations, it's ideal for key agreements, such as LLC operating agreements, ...