I often speak to groups on the topic of estate planning. (If you want me to speak to your group, please contact us!) When I do, I always talk about how best to protect kids in the event the worst happens and the parents both die. You see, if children are too young or too immature to do something sensible with an inheritance, I usually recommend that the inheritance should be held in trust. Inevitably, someone will say, "I named my parents as the beneficiaries on all my accounts. They ...
Add your child to your deed? No!
I get asked often why you shouldn't just add your child to your deed on a house or vacation home. Doing so is an awful idea and should never be done. And, listen, if you can get a lawyer to say you should never do something, it's probably a really bad idea. Here's why: Gift Tax When you add a child to your deed, you are gifting a 50% share of the house to that child. That gift is subject to the gift tax, and you would be required to file a Form 709 with the IRS to declare that gift. If ...
Legalzoom’s “$50,000 Peace Of Mind Guarantee” — The False Allure Of The Diy Legal Service
In my prior post, I talked about some dangers in using DIY estate planning services such as LegalZoom. One of those dangers is the fact that, if you use an insured estate planning attorney and he screws up, your survivors are protected by his malpractice insurance. Services such as LegalZoom, though, are not your attorney and therefore cannot commit malpractice. LegalZoom happily tells you, in its disclaimer: LegalZoom is not a law firm, and the employees of LegalZoom are not acting as ...
Why Pay For A Lawyer? Can’t I Do It Myself Online?
When I speak on the topic of estate planning, I am frequently asked why someone should hire a lawyer to prepare an estate plan. “Why can’t I just do it online through someone like LegalZoom for a lot less money?” In my mind, this is a bit like trying to perform your own dental filling to save money on going to a dentist. Of course, as with the dental example, the answer is that you certainly can go the DIY route and, potentially, save yourself some money. But performing DIY legal services ...
