6 Questions to Consider When Selecting Beneficiaries for a Life Insurance Policy

by Trust Counsel | Apr 12, 2019 | Articles, Asset Protection, Health Care Directive

Selecting a beneficiary for your life insurance policy sounds pretty straightforward. You’re just deciding who will receive the policy’s proceeds when you die, right? But as with most things in life, it’s a bit more complicated than that. It can help to keep in mind...

Understand What’s At Stake Before Agreeing to Serve as Trustee

by Trust Counsel | Apr 5, 2019 | Articles, Asset Protection

  Being asked by a family member or close friend to serve as trustee for their trust upon their death can be an incredible honor. At the same time, however, serving as a trustee can be a massive responsibility—and the role is not for everyone. In fact, depending on...

7 Events That Necessitate a Review of Your Estate Plan

by Trust Counsel | Mar 8, 2019 | Articles, Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Family, Financial

  Even if you put a totally solid estate plan in place, it can end up proving worthless if it’s not properly updated. Estate planning is not a one-and-done type of deal: It should continuously evolve along with your life circumstances. No matter who you are, your life...

Could an IRA Trust Benefit Your Family?

by Trust Counsel | Mar 1, 2019 | Articles, Asset Protection, Family, Financial

Unlike most of your assets, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) do not pass to your family through a will. Instead, upon your death, your IRA will pass directly to the people you named via your IRA beneficiary designation form. Unless you take extra steps, the named...

Overlooking This Basic Part of Your Estate Plan Can Be Tragic

by Trust Counsel | Feb 22, 2019 | Articles, Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Family, Financial, Trusts, Wills

The recent death of the CEO of QuadrigaCX, a major cryptocurrency exchange in Canada, demonstrates a basic, yet often-overlooked, tenet of effective estate planning: In the event of your incapacity or death, if your heirs don’t know how to find or access your assets,...

Even the President Needs a Great Estate Plan

by Trust Counsel | Feb 21, 2019 | Articles, Asset Protection, Celebrity Estates, Estate Planning, Estate Tax

In honor of Presidents’ Day, it seemed most fitting to feature two of our most famous presidents and their estate plans (or lack thereof): George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Our nation’s first president, George Washington, died on December 14, 1799. Less than six...