When you are planning for the distribution of your estate, it's customary to allocate assets equally among your immediate family. But if one of those potential heirs has a disability and is eligible for governmental benefits, you need to take … [Read more...]
The Durable and Springing Powers of Attorney
in New Jersey
What Is the Difference? Which Is Best for You? One of the critical components of an effective and comprehensive estate plan is a power of attorney. Your power of attorney is designed to go into effect during your lifetime, granting a designated … [Read more...]
Protecting Your Assets with a Living Trust
The Benefits of an Inter Vivos Trust When you are planning for the distribution of your assets after you die, there are a number of tools available. A living trust, also known as an "inter vivos" or revocable trust, offers a number of … [Read more...]
Estate Planning and Digital Assets
The digital revolution promises to radically change the way you plan for the orderly distribution of your assets upon your death. Do you have a PayPal account with a significant balance? You certainly don't want to leave it open and accessible upon … [Read more...]
An Overview of the New Jersey Probate Process – Part Two
In our first blog in this series, we identified the limited situations where survivors may use the simplified probate process in New Jersey. If you don't meet those requirements and there are assets that must pass through probate, the estate will … [Read more...]
An Overview of the New Jersey Probate Process
When a loved one dies, one of the most challenging tasks can be settling the estate, ensuring that assets are legally transferred in accordance with the decedent's wishes. That's the function of the probate process. The probate court oversees the … [Read more...]
Digital Estate Planning – Some of the Concerns
It seems that our world is rapidly becoming a digital one, with more and more services available online every day. From online banking to digital music lessons to web-based learning, it seems that the limits of the internet are being challenged all … [Read more...]
The Impact of the New Tax Law on Estate Planning
Though the tax reform bill passed in December, 2017 has been mostly heralded as a benefit for corporations, with a dramatic reduction in the corporate tax rate, it also made some significant changes in estate and gift tax law. Here's an overview of … [Read more...]
The Probate Administration Process – Getting Started
If you've agreed to act as personal representative or executor of the estate of a loved one, and that person has died, you may be uncertain how you initiate the process or what your duties are. Though you are not required to have an attorney handle … [Read more...]
What to Do With the Family Vacation Home When Your Parents Are Gone
The family vacation home—it's something your parents bought with the hopes of keeping your family together, even after you'd grown. Unfortunately, when your parents are gone, that vacation home often becomes the one thing that you and your siblings … [Read more...]