Asset protection strategies help keep your money out of the hands of nursing homes, litigators, and other financial predators. Keep reading to learn about five of the best asset protection strategies to help you keep your money right where it is. Create an Irrevocable Trust Experienced Mariett...

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...

Unfortunately, people don't stay young and healthy forever. While no one likes to think about growing old, getting sick, becoming disabled, or even incapacitated, it's incredibly important to plan ahead for the possibility. Ask yourself: If you become incapacitated, who will have the legal a...

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...

As we close out 2020 in hopes of a better 2021, Marietta estate planning lawyers are encouraging their clients to reflect on legal changes that may have gone overlooked in the past year. Last January, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was rolling out. The...

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 ...

If a loved one has recently died or become mentally incapacitated, finding the person's estate planning documents is essential. The estate planning process and associated documents are critical to making decisions on the loved one's behalf, gaining access to accounts, and discovering your dec...

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...

An estate plan that includes a revocable living trust is an excellent way to protect yourself and your loved ones upon your passing or in the event you are unable to manage your own affairs. As opposed to other estate planning options, a revocable living trust gives you the ability to keep co...

When establishing a trust, you must give serious thought to who you choose as your successor trustee—the person who will manage, invest, and hand out the trust's accounts and property once you are no longer able to do so. Marietta wills and trust lawyers would recommend that this individual i...

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...

It's been quite the year, huh? Since COVID-19 took center stage, families with seniors have been scrambling to find ways to connect with their loved ones. And now, the holidays are upon us. What we really want to do is have a big family celebration where we can all cuddle up and drink hot cocoa...

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 ...

As COVID-19 continues its rampant spread among nursing home residents and staff, valuable and accurate data pinpointing areas of concern is often rife with haphazard data collection providing skewed information. The most recent Kaiser Family Foundation data analysis indicates that federal polic...

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program available to individuals who meet certain asset requirements that help them pay for long-term care (LTC) costs. Long-term care often creates devastating financial impacts on Americans, particularly the elderly, and for those family members who lose ...

One of the most difficult decisions that parents of minor children have to make when creating their estate plans is choosing the person(s) they would want to raise their children if they were incapacitated or suddenly passed away.  In our office, we often find that the conversation starts with...

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...

View videos explaining the responsibilities and details of Guardianships and Conservatorships. Adults Guardianship and Conservatorship of Adults Video (English) Guardianship and Conservatorship of Adults Video (Spanish)   Minors Conservatorship of Minors Video (English) ...

Polling shows that the number one worry for Americans as they age is memory loss, outpacing fears of insufficient monies, and loneliness. The most prevalent among all dementia is Alzheimer's disease. According to the Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures Report, Alzheimer's accounts for an ...