We have all had to enlist the services of a professional at one time or another; whether it be an attorney, accountant, contractor, or anything in between. While vetting the person or service, you happen to notice something — maybe it’s in an email or on their website, but suddenly…you no longer feel as confident in this person or their business as much as you once did. You begin looking more carefully at their materials and start to doubt if they are the right fit for your needs. What is it … [Read more...] about Does This Look Right to You?
Mistakes
Common Mistakes in Estate Planning, Part 4 of 4
Here’s a secret (shhh…!): Estate planning attorneys are human. We are not perfect. Over a series of four blogs, we’ll look at some common mistakes. Are you making any of them? In earlier blogs in this series, we looked at not coordinating the estate plan, not leaving assets the right way, and not discussing Medicaid and special needs planning. In this final blog in the series, we’ll look at not revisiting and not revising the estate plan. When a client walks into an estate planning … [Read more...] about Common Mistakes in Estate Planning, Part 4 of 4
Common Mistakes in Estate Planning, Part 3 of 4
Here’s a secret (shhh…!): Estate planning attorneys are human. We are not perfect. Over a series of four blogs, we’ll look at some common mistakes. Are you making any of them? In earlier blogs in this series, we looked at not coordinating the estate plan and not leaving assets the right way. In this blog we’ll look at the third mistake in estate planning: not discussing Medicaid and special needs planning. When a client walks into an estate planning attorney’s office, they know their many … [Read more...] about Common Mistakes in Estate Planning, Part 3 of 4
Common Mistakes in Estate Planning, Part 2 of 4
Here’s a secret (shhh…!): Estate planning attorneys are human. We are not perfect. Over a series of four blogs, we’ll look at some common mistakes. Are you making any of them? In an earlier blog, we saw that not coordinating the estate plan was the first mistake. In this blog, we’ll look at the second mistake in estate planning, not leaving assets in the right way. Clients usually say they want to leave their assets to their beneficiaries, usually their children. Clients typically start … [Read more...] about Common Mistakes in Estate Planning, Part 2 of 4
Common Mistakes in Estate Planning
Here’s a secret (shhh…!): Estate planning attorneys are human. We are not perfect. Over a series of four blogs, we’ll look at common mistakes. Are you making any of them? The first mistake in the planning process is not coordinating the estate plan. A client has many types of assets. Let’s look at a typical client. John has $1,000,000. This includes his home, worth $250,000, a brokerage account worth $400,000, and an IRA worth $350,000. John is unmarried and wants 45% to go his son, 45% to … [Read more...] about Common Mistakes in Estate Planning
Paying for Your Mistake: What Estate Planning Attorneys Should Know About Drafting Errors
Good lawyers work diligently to uphold the highest standard of care in working with clients. However, sometimes things slip through the cracks, and we make mistakes. While in most cases we can correct any issues without harm, there may occasionally be a major error that goes unnoticed for a number of years. Such was the case with William Radaz, Jr., an elder law attorney hired to draft an irrevocable trust for Ted and Barbara Holland, a married couple. The trust should have instructed that, … [Read more...] about Paying for Your Mistake: What Estate Planning Attorneys Should Know About Drafting Errors
