Estate Planning for Your Valentine

The simplest form of will for a married couple basically says: “I give, devise, and bequeath everything I own to my beloved spouse if my spouse survives me. If my spouse does not survive me, I give it to someone ...
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END OF YEAR STEPS TO LEAVE YOUR LEGACY

One way to describe my role as an estate planning lawyer and counselor is helping clients leave their legacy in a tax-efficient manner. As the year end approaches, here are three ideas to help you with that. Netting Gains and ...
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CLIENT-CENTERED DOCUMENTS AND THE ESTATE SUPPORT CLAUSE

My children are now twenty-somethings and are in different stages of adulting. One thing I’ve learned from helping them is that paying attention to all the details is neither fun nor easy. Fun, easy, or neither, those details are essential ...
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NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVERS MONTH

November 2022 is the 26th annual Presidentially-recognized National Family Caregivers Month. Please join me in giving thanks to the millions of people nationwide who take care of their parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and other family members. Having been in this ...
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You Need a Will

Having a will is vital to protect your family. We’ve learned that Anne Heche died without a will, which has already led to a court fight between the father of her minor son and her 20 year-old son. The laws ...
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Taking Care of Your Thoroughbred

Happy Kentucky Derby! Louisville is buzzing with the first Derby Week in three years that feels halfway normal. Despite the “Why Work? It’s Derby Week” t-shirts around town, I’m plugging away. In fact, all of this talk about two-year-old thoroughbreds ...
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What to do with all those documents you just signed?

Congratulations! You’ve just spent time and money working on your will, power of attorney, health care directive, and maybe even a trust. You wrestled with who to name to take charge of your affairs while you’re alive if you can’t ...
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HOW TO FUND A TRUST?

Hopefully, the last article convinced you that you need a revocable trust if you live in North Carolina. Kentucky residents may want a revocable trust as well so this article should help my clients in both states. As a reminder, ...
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DO I NEED A TRUST IN NORTH CAROLINA OR IS A WILL ENOUGH?

Many clients call and ask if they need a revocable or living trust instead of a will. A will takes effect only when you die and names a person or company as personal representative to pay your creditors and to ...
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IF YOU LIVE IN NORTH CAROLINA, YOU SHOULD HAVE A WILL

The world is shocked when a celebrity dies without a will. But we really shouldn’t even be surprised—much less shocked. Survey after survey reveals that at least half of American adults don’t have a will. This article explains why not ...
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