Each year, my first blog post focuses on updates to estate tax laws that take effect in the new year. Before diving into the details and numbers, I want to pause to wish everyone a happy new year and to express my sincere gratitude to my clients and centers of ...

Creating an estate plan is typically a private matter, not something you share in detail with everyone in your life. After all, what you choose to do with your money and property is your business. Your partner might know what is in your plan, especially if you created it together. ...

More couples than ever are building deep, lasting relationships without ever walking down the aisle. Whether by choice, circumstance, or principle, many Americans are opting out of marriage—but not out of commitment. Data indicate that cultural norms regarding marriage in the United States have undergone significant shifts over the past ...

Estate Planning Facts for the Holiday Season Every year around the holidays, stores and malls across America are transformed into winter wonderlands, complete with elves, ornaments, artificial snow, and larger-than-life decorations. Many children stare in wide-eyed wonder as they wait to sit on Santa’s lap and answer a singularly important ...

The holiday season is right around the corner, and you have likely been shopping for the perfect gifts for your loved ones. You may have been wandering through crowded stores, scrolling through online marketplaces, or replaying conversations you have had with your loved ones over the past few months, trying ...

Disinheritance—the intentional exclusion of a family member, usually a child or spouse, from receiving part of your estate after your death—is more common than you might think. It is also easier than you might think to disinherit a loved one, with a couple of notable exceptions. However, it is not ...

You and your spouse have recently divorced, and the judge has signed the divorce decree. Now what? Although you may feel that you have spent enough time and money on lawyers, there is one last attorney you need to talk to: an estate planning attorney. If you and your former ...

In 2025, what is the total amount of money and property you can gift during your lifetime and leave at your death to your loved ones (other than to your spouse) without owing federal estate tax? $5 million $15 million $13.99 million as much as you want The correct answer ...

What comes to mind when you think of the typical American family? Today’s families take many different forms: Some are blended through divorce and remarriage while others are built through long-term partnerships, adoption, or fostering. Families may include same-sex or opposite-sex couples; married or unmarried partners; or children from different ...

We all have those nagging to-do items that never seem to make it to the top of our list, even though we know how important they are. Maybe it is scheduling a checkup with the doctor, calling the HVAC company to inspect that noisy furnace, or starting the fitness routine ...

Bookending the first week of September with Labor Day is a less recognized holiday that may not get much national attention but should if you are planning for your future: National 401(k) Day. Though we are in an era of overall declining economic confidence, many Americans are still somewhat upbeat ...

Happy National Stepfamily Day to all who celebrate it! Amid shifting family structures, there is a good chance that you are part of a stepfamily—or know somebody who is—which makes September 16 a perfect day to celebrate. At its heart, National Stepfamily Day is a celebration of second chances and ...

Who wants to live to be 100? That depends on who you ask. Whatever the answer, one thing is clear: The odds of reaching that milestone are rising, along with the length of retirement and the number of life changes that come with it. Life expectancy gains in the US ...

Actor Val Kilmer’s passing in April 2025 highlights estate planning issues that can affect almost anyone. Although Kilmer was a celebrity, these issues—including managing real estate in more than one state, deciding what happens with digital assets, and using charitable gifts to leave a legacy and help reduce estate taxes—are ...

Born into an impoverished Houston household in 1949, George Foreman lived a rags-to-riches tale of pure Americana: Olympic gold medalist, heavyweight boxing champion, ordained minister, global pitchman, and father to a dozen children. At the time of his death on March 21, 2025, his estate was estimated to be valued ...