NC and SC Estate Planning and Elder Law Firm

Have you heard of probate? It is the court-supervised process of administering a person’s estate after he or she dies. A notoriously lengthy and costly process, people often seek to establish estate plans that allow for avoiding probate, at least partially. Why can probate be so time consuming? Well, there is a lot that needs to be accomplished during the process.
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The idea of establishing a trust may be intimidating for some people. Trusts have developed a reputation as only being for the wealthy. The truth is, however, that many people could benefit from establishing a trust as part of their estate plans.
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While you might not necessarily think of estate tax is a hot news topic, it has been recently. This has been, in large part due to the “For the 99.5% Act” that Senator Bernie Sanders proposed on March 25, 2021. The sweeping changes in

If you have done any initial investigation into the many benefits of estate planning, you may have read that one of the big potential perks of comprehensive estate planning is that you can put tools in place that help your assets from avoiding probate, in whole or in part. Why is it so great if you can avoid probate? Well, for starters, probate can be expensive. The court fees alone can take a significant chunk out of an estate’s value.
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The personal representative of an estate has a lengthy list of important tasks to accomplish in probate proceedings. In fact, while probate is the court-supervised process that follows in the wake of a person’s death, the personal representative is instrumental in helping to ensure that probate goes smoothly, that everything needed gets done, and that things get accomplished without undue delays and complications. Personal representatives play a significant role in the administration of the estates they are appointed to oversee.

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Have you ever heard of the elective share? While many have not, it can have significant impact on a person’s estate plan. Established in state legislatures across the U.S.
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The Do It Yourself, DIY, craze persists in the U.S. People are engaging in DIY home renovations, DIY life hacks, DIY arts and crafts, and so much more. What about DIY Read more . . .

Congratulations on checking off a vital task on your to-do list! Estate planning puts legal tools in place that will protect both you and your family. The sense of relief and peace of mind that can come with putting a strong estate plan in place can be great. You may have designed a will that distributes your property as you wish after you pass away.
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Giving back to causes that are important to you may be a priority. If there are charities whose mission you support, providing them with financial resources to continue pursuing their goals can be fulfilling in so many ways. In addition to bringing you joy and a feeling that you are contributing something bigger than yourself, there can be other benefits of charitable giving. These benefits, however, can vary depending on how you do the giving. For instance, have you ever heard of charitable giving through an estate plan? By using different Read more . . .

Where do you live? It sounds like a simple enough question, but the more you really dive into it with some people, it can get more complicated than anticipated. With many people owning multiple properties in different states, and sometimes even splitting time evenly between them, what is considered to be the permanent residence or “domicile” can be difficult to determine. A person’s domicile is considered to be the place where he or she lives with an intent to permanently stay. There is no uniform way of defining or determining domicile and, often, a number of different factors will be considered in its determination. In some states, you can even file a Declaration of Domicile in order to formally establish your intent to make a certain location your domicile.
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In a family and among loved ones, there can be a range of concerns and issues. Perhaps you have a grandchild who is not good with money. Maybe you have a sibling struggling with an addiction. While we all have our concerns and struggles, you may still want to provide your loved one with an inheritance, but worry about where the proceeds will go to. Will the inheritance be immediately wasted away? Will creditors eat up all of it? Will it go towards perpetuating an addiction? Fortunately, a spendthrift trust may solve the dilemma you face.
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