Families in New Jersey come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes after the death of a spouse or a divorce a person remarries creating an entirely new family dynamic, especially if they have adult children from their prior union. While stepchildren and stepparents can...
Estate Planning
What is a revocable living trust?
As you begin the estate planning process, you may want to consider including a revocable living trust in your estate plan. A revocable living trust is one of many tools you can use to distribute your assets among your beneficiaries. There are generally three parties...
The legal requirements of a will in New Jersey
A will is an essential part of any estate plan, as it specifies how your property will be distributed after you pass away. Passing intestate, or without a valid will, can lead to many issues for the decedent’s surviving family members. Laws pursuant to will writing...
The costs and basics of an estate plan
New Jersey residents likely understand how important it is to have an estate plan in place. Despite the important role in serves, many will postpone drafting these documents because they do not want to think about his or her own death or a situation where they are...
Factors to consider when choosing a power of attorney
Power of attorney is one of the most important estate planning documents a person can create. A POA is a legal document that grants authority to an individual to make financial and potentially medical decisions for another person upon incapacitation. For those wishing...
Why you should avoid DIY estate planning
Just about everyone is looking to save money one way or another. Unfortunately, for many people estate planning falls pretty low on the totem pole of priorities, so they often skip out on seeking assistance from a skilled estate planning attorney. Some people choose...
What are some end of the year estate planning tips?
Estate planning can get complicated fast because there are so many options, and because there are so many options, appropriate estate planning is highly individualized. After all, everyone has different wants, needs and income levels. This is why one-size-fits-all...
Considering death taxes in financial planning
When it comes to estate planning, people sometimes get confused about what will get taxed and how it will affect their estate once they are gone. No matter how well-intentioned you are about bequests, not considering all tax angles beforehand can lead to a smaller...
4 most overlooked elements of an estate plan
Individuals often take great care when developing a comprehensive estate plan. From determining who should act as a health care proxy or guardian for minor children to deciding which assets go to which heirs, people can often get caught up in the big, important...
New Jersey’s probate process
One someone passes away, regardless of whether they have an estate plan, the legal process that distributes the deceased person’s assets is called probate. If the person died with a legally enforceable will, the probate court will distribute that person’s assets...