Why You Don’t Need an Estate Plan (unless you do)
Some folks are either too busy or not convinced that they need an estate plan. Either way, we’re here to help you check this item off your list. Let’s start with why you don’t need an estate plan. If we can agree on that, we don’t need to get to the too busy part. And... Read More
Education Trusts: Another Way to Save
A solid education is arguably the best way to secure your child or grandchild’s future. Education opens the mind as well as doors of opportunity. As an alternative to the 529 plan, you can set up an education trust for your child or grandchild’s education. The funds will not grow tax-free as they do in... Read More
My child needs estate planning documents too?
What now? My child needs estate planning documents too? Yep, now that our little girl is all grown up (haha, she’s 18), I have asked her to sign a Medical Power of Attorney so mom and I can actually help out with medical care. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) privacy... Read More
Taking Stock
Autumn is a time to take stock; but it’s a word with many meanings … Stock is ownership. Stock is inventory. Stock is the foundation of soup. Stock is what we take of ourselves. Stock is the butt of a rifle. Stock is what we exchange. Stock is what we take of ourselves. Stock is... Read More
Pursuing Purpose
As the keynote speaker for Harvard’s recent commencement ceremony, Mark Zuckerberg tells it like this: The struggle of our time is to halt turning inwards, and to engage in communities locally and globally. To seek purpose merely for ourselves is passé. Helping to create purpose for others (indeed for all) is the goal. We... Read More
Crossroads: Estate Planning + Real Estate
Is there a ‘best’ way to handle real estate in estate planning? Yes, and no. Yes, there’s a best way. But it’s never the same. Know your options, and then choose what best suits your needs. But no matter what approach you choose (e.g., using a revocable trust, a beneficiary deed, or joint tenancy),... Read More
This Is No Time To Relax!
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 doubled the estate tax exemption. Will clients keep calling? Indeed, there’s a host of reasons they should. First and foremost, taxes should not be the central planning point for estate and trust clients. Estate planning’s primary goal is to protect assets from creditors, divorcing spouses, and mismanagement by beneficiaries... Read More
Indivisible!
Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day! This year for Valentine’s Day at Perlick Legal Counsel we reflected on our love for the ideals and values we hold so dear. In light of recent events that have challenged these ideals, David wanted to add his voice of concern… Indivisible! I stand, indivisible, with those whose rights they’d strip... Read More
A Dolphin-Sea of Consciousness
Puttering about in the warm, shallow turquoise waters off the coast of Mexico, we captured these dolphins who came to play (video later). As we meandered, I glimpsed their gentle enlightenment. Or maybe I was enthralled with the possibility of my own…. It was 1972 when I began my fascination with dolphins. I was in... Read More
Death Happens…
In the spirit of Halloween – of skeletons, ghosts, and cob-webbed graveyards – let’s chat a bit about the afterlife, shall we? Whether you plan to come back as a zombie, ghost, goon or ghoul, you will first have to dispose of your earthly remains (after you’ve left the realm of the living). Most will choose from the traditional options of burial or cremation,... Read More