The following ill-advised estate planning strategies can cause confusion, or even cost your children some or all of their inheritance.

No one likes to think about it, but when we pass away it will be someone else's responsibility to wrap up our affairs. This can be a difficult task for your executor if he or she does not know where your important documents are kept, information on your financial accounts like what types, where...

It can be hard to get motivated about your estate planning; it sounds about as fun as getting a root canal. However, you also probably want to make sure that your loved ones are protected and receive your hard-earned money and property – regardless of whether you have $10 million or $10,000. ...

It's graduation time! Even though the ceremony may look a little different this year because of COVID-19, it still means your “baby” is all grown up and preparing to head out into the real world. But, before your child (or grandchild!) plans to head off for college or pursues other endeavors, it'...

Conversations about death and dying are rarely fun. Most people avoid them because they invoke feelings about our inevitable demise. Broaching this subject can be particularly difficult for parents and their adult children. Adult children may avoid bringing up the topic because they do not want...

If you have already done your estate planning, you have taken a significant step toward ensuring that your loved ones will know how to manage your affairs if you become incapacitated or die. However, simply having a will or a trust and related estate planning documents is often not enough. A ...

While watching a movie or reading a book about wealthy individuals and their families, you may have come across terms such as “heir,” “descendant,” and “next of kin.” Though made-for-Hollywood storylines use these terms interchangeably, words describing familial relationships have distinct de...

Larry King passed away in January due to complications with COVID-19. At the time, he was in the middle of a divorce from his seventh wife, Shawn. His net worth is estimated to be some $144 million. Shawn has been adamant that the pair have had an estate plan in place for many years. However, l...

Baby boomers - the first generation tasked with the responsibility of planning for and funding their golden years. This generation, which includes those born between 1946 and 1964, has entered and continues to enter into retirement. As they make this financial transition into retirement, many...

The benefits of a highly detailed, comprehensive power of attorney are numerous. Unfortunately, many powers of attorney are more general in nature and can actually cause more problems than they solve, especially for our senior population. This blog post highlights the benefits of a comprehensiv...

The advent of the coronavirus pandemic forces each individual to assess their values and priorities, and overall health. The little COVID-19 clinical information relating to treatment options and likely outcomes based on personal health history should lead all of us to the same conclusion; hope...

Nothing lasts forever. Your smiling baby becomes a child who becomes an adult. You change too. You won't always be there for your child with special needs. You may already have a Special Needs Trust in Cobb County, but it's important to continue to review your trust to ensure that it still ...

On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) gave name to the disease-causing the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. The coronavirus disease 2019 shortly after became known by its abbreviation, CO for corona, VI for virus, D for disease, and 19 for the year of the outbreak; COVID-1...

A critical question to ask yourself when creating an estate plan is who will get your stuff when you pass on? While most people think about who they would like to receive the major items—homes, retirement accounts, savings—personal property such as jewelry, clothing, sports equipment, vehicle...

A payable-on-death account, also called a POD account, is a common way to keep bank and investment accounts out of probate, the court-supervised process that oversees distributing a deceased person's property. Most people want to avoid their estate going through probate because their heirs wi...

A complete estate plan must include certain essential parts. In fact, it is similar to building a snowman in some respects. The traditional snowman has several critical components: bottom, middle, and top snowballs, as well as “arms” and a “face.” If any of these are left out, the snowman can...

If you're concerned that you or a loved one could become seriously ill or even worse due to the novel coronavirus, you're not alone. As we all collectively wait for the mass release of a vaccine, setting up an estate plan, or reviewing an older plan is an important step in making sure that you ...

I hope this blog post finds you well and excited for a new year. 2020 has been challenging (to say the least), and I'm looking forward to taking some much-needed time off over the holidays to decompress a little.  I'm also planning to spend some time organizing my year-end financials and set...

This year is quickly coming to a close. For many of us, December 31 cannot come soon enough, as 2020 has been anything but a walk in the park. The first quarter of 2020 brought a worldwide pandemic. Not only did this raise concerns about everyone's health and safety, but it also fundamentally ...

Let's be honest: a major obstacle to proper estate planning for many people is the cost. Sometimes it's hard to see how estate planning can save money, time, and headaches in the future when there's a significant price tag in the present. That's why Marietta estate planning lawyers want to le...

I read that when making a will, I could leave my property to my children “per stripes.” Why is the law talking about us like we're some kind of zebra?  The phrase is Latin and it is “per stirpes,” not “per stripes.” Some bits of property law are extremely ancient in origin and this is one of...

Estate planning—it is an incredibly important tool, not just for the uber wealthy or those thinking about retirement. On the contrary, estate planning is something every adult should do. Estate planning can help you accomplish any number of goals, including appointing guardians for minor childr...

When your child turns 18 (in most states), it might be hard to imagine that little child who once needed you for everything has now become – overnight – an adult. Now your child is free to vote, marry, apply for a credit card, make medical and financial decisions, sign contracts, and live ind...

If our Marietta will and estate lawyers had a dollar for every time someone asked this question when creating an estate plan…  ... well, you get the point.  There's a common belief that if you want to disinherit someone, say an adult child, that you should leave them $1 and nothing more in ...

You should check your estate planning documents every so often, to make sure they're still good, especially with big life changes like births, marriages, divorces, and moving to another state. Children grow up, marriages dissolve, property gets sold, residences change. That's why we recommend t...