Blog & Resources

My Mother, who lives in Burlington County, New Jersey is having serious health problems. She wants me to be able to use her general power of attorney, but it says I need a doctor’s note saying that she is incapacitated. Is that normal?

Your mother has a “Leaping” Power of Attorney, which at one time was the normal document that Burlington County Estate Planning Lawyers would prepare. A Leaping Power of Attorney gives the “Agent” the power to act for the person if — and only if — that person has become incapacitated and the Agent can secure a letter from the person’s doctor stating that the person is incapacitated. Without the letter the power of attorney is useless.

I am a resident of Gloucester County, New Jersey. If I have recently formed a Revocable Living Trust and moved all my New Jersey assets into the trust, do I still need a will?

If the goal in forming your Revocable Living Trust was to avoid probate, then you must either transfer all your assets that would otherwise be Probate Assets into the trust during your lifetime or have them pour into the Revocable Trust at your death. That is often done by using a Payable on Death Account or naming the Trust as Beneficiary.

My father wants to transfer a rental property he owns in Philadelphia into my name. If he does, will this gift avoid Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax?

As a Philadelphia resident, at your father’s death, all assets he leaves you at death (except life insurance) will be subject to the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax at the 4.5% children’s rate. That includes all gifts made within one year of the date of his death. So, if he transfers the rental property into your name and lives for at least one more year, at his death you will avoid Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax payment.

President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union Address was a throwback in some aspects. Specifically, Obama’s proposal included removing a veteran staple in the estate planning attorney’s playbook, the so-called “Angel of Death” tax loophole. Let’s take a look at exactly what the “Angel of Death” tax loophole is, and why you should care about it.

In New Jersey, a disclaimer is an heir’s legal refusal to accept a gift or a bequest. In other words, you can’t force someone to accept a gift. If a Will names someone an heir or if a life insurance policy names a beneficiary, that heir or beneficiary cannot be “forced” to accept the gift.

Periodically reviewing your Pennsylvania estate plan is critical. Significant life events including marriages, children and moving can dramatically affect how your assets are distributed. Other issues such as changes in state and federal laws can also affect your intended estate plan. In addition to your plan failing, old and unreviseddocuments can delay probate, and in some cases end up in litigation. These are some of the many reasons reasons to periodically review your estate plan to ensure it still reflects your intentions.

Many Pennsylvania residents die without a Will. Many will die unexpectedly before they can prepare a Will, but most people simply just don’t get around to writing a Will. If you die without a Will in Pennsylvania, you are said to die “Intestate”, or without testamentary documents. It is not true that if you die without a Will in Pennsylvania that your assets pass to the state. Instead, a set of rules decide who is in charge of your estate and to whom your assets pass.

In some instances, Pennsylvania residents attempt to draft a homemade Will, believing they can clearly and legally express their intentions. Without an in depth knowledge of Will drafting, even clear and simple language can fail as ambiguous. Ambiguity in homemade wills leaves Leaving Pennsylvania Estates open to outcomes contradicting the drafter’s written intent. In order to highlight this point, we will take a look at a recent case before the Delaware County Orphans’ Court where a homemade Will failed and partial intestacy resulted.

Ensuring the financial well being of family after death is a fundamental concern for clients when estate planning. By Trust or by Will, various strategies exist to satisfy that concern. Keeping up to date on real cases helps ensure our strategies are appropriately tailored to your needs.

The Orphans’ Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania recently ruled on one family’s strategy in Zucker Estate. This case provides insight into how accurate trust drafting can achieve your financial support goals. The court focuses on the marital trust and critical difference between exclusive and non-exclusive powers of appointment. A factual background will serve as a point of reference for the key takeaways in Zucker.

Addressing your blended LGBT family in your estate plan is a good idea. Though you may not wish to treat your Partner’s children the same way you treat your biological children, by at least mentioning them or giving them a small gift you may avoid hurt feelings and potential conflict.

Summary: In 2014, a trust utilizing Crummey powers allows an individual to contribute $14,000 a year ($28,000 for married couples) into a trust without diminishing the lifetime gift tax exemption. Instead, the gift is exempt from the gift tax under the Annual Gift Tax Exclusion. These gifts can help avoid the 40% Federal Gift Tax, preserving wealth for the family.