Special Reports are written on topics that affect various aspects of estate planning and the laws that govern it.
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These reports are published by the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and cover a wide-variety of subjects relating to estate planning. Click on a report title to read more or to order a complimentary copy.
15 Common Reasons To Do Estate Planning
Find out the most common reasons why it is important to do estate planning such as avoiding probate, protecting your assets and designating someone who will manage your affairs after your pass away. These are all important matters that should not be ignored.
A Special Child Needs Special Planning
While planning for the care of a special needs child certainly tops the list of emotionally-charged topics, the peace of mind parents gain from a well-designed estate plan is immeasurable.
Aid & Attendance: Special Care Pensions for Wartime Veterans
If you or your loved one is a wartime Veteran in need of daily assistance due to any disabling medical condition you may qualify for monetary benefits from the Veterans Administration’s Aid & Attendance Special Pension.
Are Your Bank Accounts Safe?
This report informs the reader of what FDIC actually is and explains the basic coverage FDIC offers.
Asset Protection: Reducing Risk, Promoting Peace of Mind
Every American adult shares a dubious characteristic—each is a walking litigation target. Part of your birthright is that you may be sued at any time, for any reason, and for any amount.
Beware of Living Scare Tactics!
There is so much conflicting information regarding estate planning options, it’s difficult to know whom to trust. Don't be fooled by the most common myths that have been used to scare the public.
Charity Begins at Home
Americans are some of the most generous givers on the face of the planet. They reach into their pockets and take out their checkbooks on behalf of others more often than any other industrialized nation.
Creating a Lasting Legacy
Traditional Estate Planning can certainly address legal technicalities and basic financial concerns, but most people want to pass on much more than just financial assets.
Dangers of Do-It-Yourself Wills and Living Trusts
Estate planning is an essential part of life and death. In planning for our future and our family’s future, we must take stock of who we are, what our goals are, and how we want our estate distributed.
Estate Planning Basics For Families With Young Children
Problems often arise when a parent with minor children passes away with no estate plan in place, leaving behind potential hardship on the emotional and financial future of their minor children.
Estate Planning with Individual Retirement Accounts
At first glance, the concept of an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) seems simple enough: a structured way to save for your golden years while deferring taxes on your growing nest egg.
Family Farm: The Next Generation
A humorous take on how families pass on businesses, such as family farms, is reflected in this quip: Avenge your children; give them equal shares in your business.
Family Wealth Trust
Our firm has found that looking after these financial assets is only a part of planning for passing on your legacy. Typically speaking, non-financial assets are more valued and often omitted when passing an estate to future generations.
Funeral Planning
For surviving family members, the hours and days following a loved one’s death is no time for weighty decisions. For many Americans, however, this will be the first time they think about the preparations for their loved one’s funeral.
Getting The Most Out of Your Life Insurance
If you own life insurance, congratulations. Sadly, most of us put off this critical element in our family's financial planning, which may have devastating consequences on the loved ones left behind.
GRANDPARENTS’ GUIDE TO SECOND GENERATION PLANNING
The question of what will happen to your children without you or their own partner will be answered someday. In preparation for the unexpected and the inevitable, it is important to set up a proper estate plan.
Impact of Divorce
This report can help familiarize you with some important concepts about being prepared for divorce, should it come your way.
Keeping Up With the Ever Changing Estate Tax
Why create an estate plan? As 2013 started, the estate planning world had a new law: The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA), enacted January 2, 2013.
Living Trusts: Calculating the Benefits
Chances are you’ve already heard a lot about the attributes of Living Trusts: avoiding probate and legal quagmires, sometimes lowering estate and/or income taxes and protecting privacy.
Peace Of Mind
As citizens of a culture that worships youth, most of us find it nearly impossible to admit our own mortality, much less make plans for that eventuality. Denial, however, offers no protection from the inevitable.
Planning It Right the Second Time Around
One thing should be clear by now: we do our families and ourselves a great disservice when we fail to plan for every contingency. That's why a crucial first step in this entire process should be a consultation with an estate planning attorney.
Probate: A Process, Not a Problem
While often maligned as a headache, in reality probate offers a solid legal framework with advantages for those who have properly prepared prior to death and who have retained skilled legal counsel.
Probate: An Executor's Role and Responsibilities
The passing of someone close to you is a difficult and emotionally draining time. The last thing you likely want to deal with is the business of settling your loved one’s final affairs. But, if you are a potential executor, it’s one of those things that must be done, and it’s not as horrible as you may have feared.
Protecting Your Assets with the Family Limited Partnership
Are you worried about being sued? Well, you should be. It is reported that there are 18 million lawsuits in the United States each year. However, that isn't the whole story.
Protecting Your Assets with the Limited Liability Company
Are you worried about being sued? Well, you should be. There are 18 million lawsuits in the United States each year. But that isn't the whole story. Have you heard of the "deep pocket" syndrome?
Set The Stage for Medicaid Eligibility
Incapacity planning is a broad area of law that covers how you are cared for if you become physically or mentally unable to care for yourself.
Should You Trust Your Estate Plan?
Many people think of estate planning as a life event. You spend some time with your estate planning attorney and talk about your goals, plans, dreams, and fears for the future.
Special Benefits for Farms
This report describes the estate tax valuation benefits available to owners of farms or other business real property.
The Nightmare of Living Probate
For most of our lives the greatest risk to our well-being isn't death. It's the ever-growing likelihood of becoming seriously ill or injured.
The Trouble of Joint Tenancy
Joint tenancy ownership of property is sometimes used as a substitute for an effective estate plan. Is this a good idea? Read this article to find out.
To My Dog Lucky
Who will care for your pets if you can no longer do so? If you have a dog, cat or other pet, you know that the unconditional love and affection our pets devote to us improve the quality of our lives in ways nothing else can.
Trust Administration: Prior Planning Prevents Problems
Trust Administration is the process people often find themselves in unexpectedly, after the death of a spouse or parent who created the trust prior to passing on.
What Every Senior Should Know About Probate
For Seniors, the debate over Wills versus Probate holds special meaning, because the vast majority of Probate cases revolve around the affairs of those Americans ages 60 and over.
Where There's a Will, There's a Probate
Some people mistakenly believe that drafting a will avoids the costly, time-consuming legal process called probate. Read this article to find out about wills, probate and Living Trusts.
Your Life, Your Final Say
Terri Schiavo’s voice can still be heard, just in a different manner than before. Want to make sure you have the final say in your life? This report will tell you how the proper estate planning tools can guarantee that your end-of-life decisions are carried out.