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What happens when the bank, title company, or court requests your original legal documents, and no one can find them?

By explaining some of the common questions you might encounter when you meet with an estate planning attorney, we hope to help you prepare for your first estate planning meeting and alleviate some of the fear and anxiety that accompanies it.

As a single individual, you may feel overwhelmed when you think about who will step in and make decisions for you if you cannot make decisions for yourself and who will receive your money and property when you die.

If you or someone named in your estate planning documents has remarried, there are several major issues that you should be aware of as well as steps you should take to ensure your estate planning continues to be appropriate for your current situation.

Can you actually disinherit a child? The answer, in most circumstances, is yes. You can disinherit a child under most states’ laws, but you must understand the limitations and additional factors if you are considering this option.

When you establish a trust, you name someone to be the trustee. A trustee does what you do right now with your financial affairs—collect income, pay bills and taxes, save and invest for the future, buy and sell property, provide for your loved ones, keep accurate records, and generally keep things organized and in good order.

The chances of a married couple dying in a common accident or within a very short time of one another are probably quite slim. However, it does happen.

The death of a loved one is never easy. Regardless of your relationship with the deceased (blood relative, life partner, or close friend), you need space and time to process and grieve your loss. Once you have had time to cope with all that has happened, you should consider updating your estate plan in light of your loved one’s death. We are here to guide you through the main areas of focus of your review.

Misconceptions about who needs an estate plan abound. Most people believe that estate planning is only for extremely wealthy business moguls or celebrities. But that could not be further from the truth.

In some cases, corporate trustees may be better than family or friends at managing your money and property if you pass away or become impaired and unable to manage your affairs.

Studies estimate that 70 percent of family wealth is lost by the end of the second generation and 90 percent by the end of the third generation. To help your loved ones avoid becoming part of this statistic, you need to educate and update your extended family about your wealth transfer goals and the plan you have put in place to achieve these goals.

Studies have shown that the largest contributing factors to generational loss of wealth are a lack of communication and trust among family members and the failure to prepare heirs. Often, fear is what underlies the lack of communication and trust that inevitably leads to unprepared heirs.

The person you choose to be your executor (sometimes called a personal representative) will play an extremely important role, as that person will be responsible for gathering, securing, managing, and ultimately distributing your money and property when you pass away.

When it comes to protecting your unmarried partner, there are several options to consider. Depending on the value of your money and property, your desired level of protection from your partner’s creditors, and other factors unique to your situation, one or more of these strategies may be beneficial.

Confused about the differences between wills and trusts? If so, you’re not alone. While it’s always wise to contact experts like us, it’s also important to understand the basics.

Since your family’s needs and circumstances are constantly changing, so too must your estate plan. Your plan must be updated when certain life changes occur. These include, but are not limited to: marriage, the birth or adoption of a new family member, divorce, the death of a loved one, a significant change in assets, and a move to a new state or country.

The results of the Georgia Senate election are in and Democrats have secured a 50/50 Senate majority. As such, we anticipate changes to the Federal Estate Tax exemptions.

There are a few different options to help prepare your children or other beneficiaries for the future inheritance they will receive. Here are some strategies recommended by financial advisors...

There are ways to make sure that your children still live a professionally fulfilling life and still allow you to leave your estate to them down the road.

Talk to your parents and make sure that they have the following documents in order...

Consider alternatives, such as a home safe that is bolted to your floor, for storing these important items...

Clients should review their estate plan every few years to see if any changes need to be made. Here are some times that you should consider updating your Will.

Ethical Wills or legacy letters are documents that allow you to share your values, experiences, and life lessons with your family after you are no longer here.

Thanks to technology, storing estate plan documents is now easier than ever since they can be saved digitally on an online portal where both clients and their loved ones can easily access them.

Many people assume that estate planning is only necessary for older, wealthy people, but this is not the case.

Here are some things to know about estate planning during these uncertain times.

There are plenty of uncertainties when it comes to COVID-19. What happens if you get sick, lose your job, or can’t see your family and friends for an extended period of time? Why add to the list of uncertainties by not being prepared with an estate plan?

Without a Will, the state you live in will decide who gets what by default intestacy laws, leaving conflict, confusion, and hardship behind.

If you’ve been named as financial power of attorney for a loved one are you ready for the responsibilities that entails?

Coronavirus stay at home is a good time to update financial and legal matters.

In the past, giving away assets during life was used to lower estate taxes at death. However, with the Federal Estate Tax exemption over $11 million per person and many states eliminating estate tax (including New Jersey) gifting is less important.

Five Wishes is a document created by Aging With Dignity that you can purchase and use alongside your existing Advance Health Care Directive to give family members more personal guidance.

Best practices for beneficiary designations include keeping hard copies of all changes (including website or email confirmations) and checking up on your estate plan every 3-5 years including any beneficiary designation changes.

The Charles Schwab website suggests three main steps to choosing the right estate planning attorney for you. Look for a recommendation if you don't already have an estate planning attorney.

This article explains how adult children can help aging parents with their bills and brokerage statements in a way that is supportive and not condescending.

Many married couples own property “Joint with Right of Survivorship” or “Tenants by the Entirety” which works well in many cases.

Certain assets like retirement plans and life insurance policies must have beneficiary designations.

Our children become legal adults at 18 but are unlikely to marry or start their own families until ages 30+ so what happens in the interim?

Your parents are aging and there may come a time in the not too distant future where they have a health scare or incapacity of some sort (including dementia).

If you are in the prime of life, raising children and caring for aging parents, it is easy to put yourself on the back-burner.

EverSafe is a monthly service to monitor elders' financial accounts and provide adult children with alerts BEFORE it's too late.

This app tracks elders' location via their phone.

All Apple phones come with a "heart" icon with a Medical ID symbol in the bottom right corner.

One of the most meaningful messages a person can leave behind to loved ones is a personal letter.

We recommend that clients keep a one page list or spreadsheet of their assets (bank, brokerage, insurance, etc.) so that their Executors and Trustees know where to begin someday.

As we age, it becomes increasingly important to have back up plans in case we are not able to manage our own financial affairs.

As we age, handling finances alone often becomes overwhelming. For clients with Revocable Living Trusts already struggling with finances, they may want to consider naming an adult child as a co-Trustee now rather than later.

Many clients own timeshares in other states. This can create a problem at death of "ancillary probate" in the destination state.

One of the best gifts a grandparent can make to their children and grandchildren is to plan and pay for a multigenerational trip.

Many companies including Google, Apple and IBM are no long requiring college degrees.

Many grandparents want to leave something to grandchildren. One of the best lifelong gifts is to start a Roth IRA for a grandchild of working age (14 plus) who has earned income

We do not recommend keeping original estate planning documents in a bank safe deposit box for many reasons.

When your children turn 18 they become legal adults and often move away to college.