Category Archives: Estate Planning

3 Irrevocable Trust Misconceptions

People make incorrect assumptions about irrevocable trusts all the time. Yes, even attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors. Irrevocable trusts are nothing to be afraid of. Here are the top 3 irrevocable trust misconceptions: 1. You Can’t Modify An Irrevocable Trust This is not true. You can absolutely modify an irrevocable trust. Here are the three […]

5 Revocable Trust Mistakes

Revocable trusts are amazing estate planning tools that most people need for estate planning. Having reviewed hundreds of trusts over the years, here are 5 Common Revocable Trust Mistakes I see people make. 1. Not Funding Your Revocable Trust Funding the trust means titling assets in the name of the trust. One of the many […]

Tips for Choosing a Guardian for Minor Children

Choosing a guardian for minor children can be simple for some and a much more difficult process for others. I’ve see some people start the estate planning process but take months (or even years) to implement it because they couldn’t decide who to name as guardian for children. Here are some tips to help. Why […]

What is Probate?

I spend a lot of time designing estate plans for people to avoid probate. What is probate and why do we want to avoid it? What is Probate? First of all, probate isn’t necessarily a dirty word. It’s exists to protect you in a way. Probate is the court supervised process to appoint an executor, […]

How to Leave Inheritance to Children

Beneficiary Trusts – A Better Way to Leave Inheritance to Children There is a better way to leave an inheritance to your children – Beneficiary Trusts. I hear over and over that clients don’t want their children to get too much too soon or that they don’t want their children to squander their inheritance. It […]

Shared Experiences Forge Relationships

Think about your most meaningful relationships. I’m willing to bet that those relationships were formed through shared experiences. At least they became more meaningful through shared experiences. I would also bet that you can think of at least one lifelong friend that you haven’t seen in years but if you did, you’d feel just as […]

Does a Revocable Trust Protect Assets?

The answer is NO, except when the answer is maybe. I’ll explain why a revocable trust generally doesn’t protect assets and circumstances where a revocable trust can protect assets. Revocable trusts are still amazing tools for estate planning and most people need one as part of their foundational estate planning. However if asset protection is […]