Choosing a Trustee: Navigating the Complexities and Key Considerations
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 509: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 2 - Beneficiaries)
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 508: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 1 - Rules)
Mamma Mia!: Common Estate Planning Issues for Blended Families
Once Removed Episode 38: The Legacy Mindset: What It Is and How to Build It
John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Life After Love Gone Wrong Podcast: Season 3, Episode 6 - Reshaping Your Legacy: Estate Planning After Your Divorce
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 13: It’s 5 o’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Will Is? A Lesson From Aretha Franklin
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Family Office Technology Solutions
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act
What is a self-proving affidavit?
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
As an old song covered by the Beatles goes, “the best things in life are free, but you can’t keep em for the birds and bees, now give me money, that’s what I want.”...more
Look, I love a good soap opera. I grew up on Dallas, and I still sneak in The Bold and the Beautiful when I can. There’s something about the betrayal, the big reveals, and the constant twists that makes it compelling. But you...more
Roughly two-thirds of Americans are estimated to die without executing a valid will. As a result, assets in their name will pass under the laws of intestacy of their home state. The laws of intestacy are essentially default...more
For parents of children with special needs, planning for the future goes far beyond drafting a will. One of the most complex — and important — pieces of the puzzle is ensuring that your retirement assets are distributed in a...more
When an employee unexpectedly dies, companies often want to act quickly so as to minimize disruption to the deceased employee’s family. While that is an important goal, companies need to ensure that they follow federal and...more
In this article, the authors delve into the Department of Labor’s temporary ERISA enforcement policy for unclaimed retirement benefit payments of $1,000 or less. The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a temporary...more
On July 19, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued final regulations (“2024 regulations”) regarding the SECURE Act of 2019 and the SECURE Act 2.0 of 2022, which apply to 401(a) plans, 401(k) plans, traditional and...more
Most SECURE 2.0 articles focus on the changes applicable to defined contribution plans, such as 401(k) plans, and rightly so, since those plans were the most impacted by the law. However, SECURE 2.0 did make a handful of...more
Earlier today I happened upon a really important article accenting the dangers of what often starts as an entirely innocent transaction. A site called the Street.com publishes a variety of articles about retirement and...more
Many think estate planning is only a concern for those who are later in their stage of life or wealthy. They put it off for years, or entirely. Estate planning is for everyone and essential to maintain financial security...more
Estate planning in a digital world - Today, virtually everyone owns (or licenses) digital assets, from email and social media accounts to digital photos and videos to online banking and brokerage accounts. Unlike...more
As 2022 came to a close, Congress passed an omnibus spending bill, the $1.7 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, and it was signed by President Joe Biden on December 29. Contained within this bill is the SECURE...more
Pay attention to securities laws when planning your estate - Do your assets include unregistered securities, such as restricted stock or interests in hedge funds or private equity funds? If so, it’s important to consider...more
In last month’s 401(k) Compliance Check, we discussed best practices for drafting a 401(k) plan summary plan description (SPD). This month we provide some best practices for plan administrators’ handling of 401(k) plan...more
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) imposes both (i) significant responsibilities on fiduciaries of participant-directed individual account plans, including 401(k) plans, and (ii) personal liability for...more
My husband just recently opened a new account at one of those online, do-it-yourself, investment companies. He promises that with the tiny amount of money I was willing to allow him to experiment with that he will make us...more
On March 10, 2022, the Department of Labor published Compliance Assistance Release 2022-01, 401(k) Plan Investments in “Cryptocurrencies”. The Release strongly discourages the addition of cryptocurrency (and other digital...more
A participant in a 401(k), 403(b), or other account-style retirement plan may name a beneficiary to receive his or her account balance after the participant’s death. A recent case, Moore v. NCR Corp. Plan Admin. Comm. (USDC...more
In this second blog post on the House Ways and Means Tax proposals, we address the proposed changes that will affect the taxation of trusts, estates, and retirement plans. As we discussed, on September 13, 2021, the...more
On July 16, 2021 the IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2021-30, which modifies and supersedes Revenue Procedure 2019-19, expanding the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (“EPCRS”). EPCRS is a program for correcting...more
To increase protections for the estimated $9.3 trillion in American retirement assets, the Department of Labor (DOL) has begun a new cybersecurity audit initiative for retirement plans. After providing its first set of...more
Retirement plans often make up a significant portion of the assets of parents of children with special needs, or of individuals who have become disabled as adults. In such cases, the question arises as to whether the...more
In this transcript of the video below, attorneys Ron Wayne and Sarah Blank discuss the SECURE Act and the key provisions that may affect you....more
SECURE ACT - What you need to know: The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act went into effect on January 1, 2020. The most significant provisions of the SECURE Act involve changes to the...more
In this brief video, attorneys Ron Wayne and Sarah Blank discuss the SECURE Act and the key provisions that may affect you....more