Leaving a Legacy with Charitable Contributions
Attorney Mateya shares creative ways to leave a legacy by including a non-profit or charity in your estate planning.
Giving to Charity in your Last Will & Testament
When you are writing your Last Will & Testament, it brings up many thoughts. No one likes to dwell on their mortality, so the entire process can be rather dark. I want to help you change that.
You can leave a legacy by making a gift in your Will. You can craft this gift in any way that you choose, within some very broad guidelines. Your gift can be contingent on something external, like “If my son is married at the time of my demise, I give him my home at 123 Main Street. If […]
Writing a Will with a Blended Family
Second Marriages are common today. That is not a comment on our society, it is simply a fact. So it is a fair question – how does this affect writing a Will? There are a number of special considerations that accompany writing a Will for a blended family. This blog entry only covers a few of them.
First, the word “children” needs to clearly be defined. Whose children? Yours, mine, ours? Without clarification, the simple statement “Everything goes to my wife, and if she predeceases me, then to my children” could cause quite a stir. Don’t let that cat out of […]
Attended a Trust Seminar Lately? Let’s Talk.
Have you been invited to a seminar to explain estate planning using Trusts instead of a Last Will & Testament? Here are a few things you will hear…
Trusts sidestep inheritance taxes!
With a Trust, everything is ‘wrapped up’ in two weeks time of the date of death. This is because Trusts completely avoid probate!
There are no formalities or required letters to the beneficiaries with Trusts!
——STOP!—–
(Insert sound of squealing brakes)
I feel like Louis Armstrong. . .”And I say to myself, what a wonderful world.” Except that it is not true.
Let’s look at some truths […]
Explaining…A Living Will, A Healthcare Power of Attorney and POLST
I recently received the following email from a client (names have been removed for privacy). I thought this might be something others have been questioning and it might be helpful to put in my blog.
(Client Email):
I have been thinking about our estate planning a lot recently. Morbid – I recognize.
That said, should we add a standard clause in either the Living Will or Health Care Power of Attorney to include a dementia specific directive? That’s the end of life condition I fear most. Rather […]