So a relative just gave me a blank copy of her parents’s will and trust, documents prepared for them by a financial planner, a guy not licensed to practice law. I have no idea what this guy knows about financial planning. I know that he knows very little about wills and trusts. Here’s a short […]
Having read the relevant parts of the 41F document released Monday, December 4th, here are some of my thoughts. First, the actual rule: 479.11 Meaning of terms. * * * Person. A partnership, company, association, trust, corporation, including each responsible person associated with such an entity; an estate; or an individual. * * * Responsible […]
In a post back in September 29th of this year, I wrote about the reluctant Chief Law Enforcement Officer or CLEO problem or obstacle that many hopeful purchasers of NFA firearms encounter when they try to buy a suppressor, short barreled shotgun, or other such that are legal in many, if not most, states. What […]
The day my wife and I finally met with our estate planning attorney, Don Owen, was anticlimactic. We sat across from him, my wife Janet to my left, Don sitting on the other side of his desk. We were there to resolve what we then realized were thornier issues than what we had imagined when […]
My how things have changed, or at least, how my understanding of things have changed. I graduated from law school in 1980 thinking that irrevocable meant just that. Once a trust became irrevocable–generally upon the death of the settlor–its terms turned to stone, fixed and barely movable. The only way to turn that stone back […]
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’s website in general and library in particular is a treasure trove of information on firearms laws and regulations, much of it downloadable in PDF format. I’ve found the publications on this page quite helpful, especially the Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide, the Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference […]
Brian Vnak, over at MarketWatch, just penned a piece titled “How to Take the Stress Out of Estate Planning.” He gives four ideas to support his title, among them, number 3: “Gift assets while you’re still living — addition by subtraction.” That’s a good idea, by the way, if only to take the monkey off your […]
Another helpful link, this one from Northern Trust: 6 Things to Ask Yourself as a Business Owner. Sorry for the quick spate of links to videos and webinars. I happen to be on the look for something else, and found these instead. I thought they may be of interest to my readers. This one is […]
Courtesy of the ABA, here’s a link to an on-demand webinar that should answer a lot of your questions about estate planning. As the brief description of the webinar says, “The program is intended for the general public and does not require a background in the law of wills or trusts or tax.” Click on […]
Virtually everyone should have a will. To see why, go here. But most people would do well to have a trust. Get that? You don’t have to be Bill Gates to need a trust. Here are five reasons why: 1. Avoid probate. Probate is the word we use to describe the legal process, the court proceedings, […]