This article was originally published in the American Bar Association’s Family Advocate, Vol. 38, No. 2, (Fall 2015) p. 10-13, and is reprinted here with permission. PDF available here. Adequate financial disclosure is essential to a valid and enforceable premarital agreement. When one party is the beneficiary of a third-party trust or the settlor of his or her own trust, […]
Structuring your estate plan requires you to take account of the assets that will be included in your estate, the various federal and state tax implications of transferring your assets, who will be responsible for administering your estate and the manner in which your estate will be divided among your intended beneficiaries. This article focuses […]
Estate planning for blended families presents particular concerns. Questions about estate taxes, picking the right fiduciary, and how to best provide for loved ones are issues that all people face when preparing their estate plans. But the answers become more complicated as spouses, ex-spouses, children, and step-children become part of the picture. Here are some […]
Maryland estate tax bill (HB 739 / SB 602) has passed both houses in the Maryland General Assembly (the House on March 7 and the Senate on March 20). Unless vetoed by the Governor, the new law will raise the Maryland estate tax threshold from its current $1 million to $1.5 million for those dying […]
What is a Power of Appointment? A power of appointment is a power given to a person (oftentimes under a trust) which enables the person to designate who will receive property or an interest in property. The person who creates the power of appointment is the donor; the holder of the power is the powerholder; and […]
A question commonly raised by clients during the estate planning process is: “What can we do to ensure that the assets we give to our children will not be available to the child’s spouse at divorce?” (One answer is for the adult child to have a premarital agreement. See “Premarital Agreements and the Young Couple” […]
