11 Red Flags of Estate Planning
Top 11 Reasons why a Revocable Living Trust is needed. When it comes to estate planning, there are a lot of red flags indicating a need for some specific protections. However, one of the biggest solutions is a well-drafted, optimally-funded revocable living trust to keep the estate out of probate. Here are the top eleven red flags Indicating […]
7 Questions on Irrevocable Trusts (Part 1 of 2)
“Can a revocable trust be converted to an irrevocable trust?” This article answers that question and three of seven common questions about irrevocable trusts. “7 Questions on Irrevocable Trusts (Part 1 of 2)” is a two-part series; the remaining questions will be addressed in a later blog post. On one of my more popular YouTube […]
Planning for a “Prenup” Marriage
A “prenup”, or premarital agreement, and separate estate plans, are ways to provide for a spouse separately from the main estate plan. While I usually like to provide variety in blog topics, I have been on a deadline to put together the new book in time for a launch at a national conference. There just […]
Just the FAQs, Ma’am (Vol. 1)
FAQs to Basic Estate Planning Questions Living Trust As part of getting back to basics for people searching for basic estate planning answers, I’m going to cover some basic questions that come from Henry W. Abts III’s book The Living Trust in Appendix G. While the questions are coming from the book, the answers are […]
No Kids… Who Gets My Estate?
There’s nothing like death and money on the table to make people go a little crazy. No Kids A frequent question from clients is who should be their beneficiaries or contingent beneficiaries if there are no kids or grandkids? In this review of a Reddit thread on r/estateplanning, Jeff Marsocci reviews the advice and comments […]
What Probate Attorneys Don’t Want You to Know
Follow The Money I’m seeing more attorneys these days at least reference a revocable living trust when speaking with their clients if they are asked about estate planning options. However, it is still the norm if clients call up a law office and ask to get a Will done that attorneys will just go through […]
What is the Estate Planning Process?
First Meeting – Estate Planning Process When people meet with an estate planner for the first time, it is often uncomfortable. After all, they’re there to talk about death and where their stuff goes. It’s not a subject that most people are eager to address. But it’s something that everyone needs to do. So what […]
My Spouse Isn’t My Beneficiary?
Life Insurance When it comes to estate planning, coordinating ownership title and beneficiary designations with your revocable living trust and the overall plan is essential if you actually want to avoid probate. In this video, Jeff explains the reasoning behind why your revocable living trust should be the primary beneficiary of life insurance… not your […]
Shielding Wealth in the Next Generation
How can you protect the wealth you leave the next generation? There are varying levels of protection depending on how long you want it protected, and how much control and involvement you want the beneficiary to have. In this post and video, I review and compare protections in a Revocable Living Trust, an Asset Management […]
Gifts, Advances, Loans
Balancing An Trust Estate Plan When the Kids Need Money NOW Estate Planning distributions aren’t always clean and even. Sometimes the kids and grandkids need money during life, and providing it to them can raise questions. (This can also be true when using a Will, but now the probate court is involved.) But whether something […]