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If you are recently married or have been married and are acquiring additional assets, know that you have options when it comes to how the property will be titled. And, although joint tenancy seems like an easy and convenient choice, it may not work as well as you...

Your wedding is over and the day was absolutely perfect. You went away on your honeymoon with your new spouse and had the time of your lives. Now you are back and can breathe a sigh of relief and watch the rest of the years ahead unfold before your eyes. Well, not so...

When you establish a trust, you name someone to be the trustee. A trustee does what you do right now with your financial affairs - collect income, pay bills and taxes, save and invest for the future, buy and sell assets, provide for your loved ones, keep accurate...

The Supreme Court (Comptroller of the Treasury of Maryland v. Wynne) has found that Maryland acted unconstitutionally by not giving its residents a full credit for taxes paid to other states. While Maryland was giving a credit for the Maryland state income portion of...

It is not unusual for people to transfer existing assets to their trust, but then forget to add new ones. It bears repeating: a trust can only control the assets that are placed into it. Any assets purchased or accounts established after the initial funding is...

Every estate plan is based on the personal, family and financial situations, and tax laws, in effect at the time it was created. All of these will change over time, and your plan needs to change with them. It’s a good idea to review your plan every couple of years or...

A trust can only control the assets that are placed into it. A good visual to use is that of a trust being an empty bucket and funding the trust is the same as filling the bucket. The trust document may be written well and have excellent instructions, but until it is...

If someone cannot conduct business due to mental or physical incapacity, only a court (guardian) appointee can take over for this person—even if a valid will exists. (A will only goes into effect after death.) A power of attorney can name someone to also act for the...

A guardian for minor children can only be named through a will. If the parents have not done this, and both die before the children reach legal age, the court will have to name someone to raise them without knowing whom the parents would have chosen. From my...

It can be difficult to coordinate multiple beneficiary designations and titles so that your beneficiaries inherit the way you want. Keeping beneficiary designations and titles balanced while you are living is a challenge; impossible if you should become ill or...