Helping our neighbors plan for their family’s future and avoid painful issues.
My adult children were home for the Easter holiday and I took the time to have that important conversation with them about their estate plans. Wait? You are an estate planning attorney. Why haven’t you had that conversation with them before? Haven’t you said before that an adult child's estate plan is an important aspect of your overall estate planning function? Why, yes. Yes, I did. But we as parents had to do some Read More
What happens if you fail to name a beneficiary on your 401K account? or your investment account? or your life insurance policy? In true legal logic, the answer is “it depends”. Most often, the financial institution that holds the fund’s assets has determined a default beneficiary in accordance with the agreement you signed when you opened the account. But in some cases, the agreement may be silent on the issue. This Read More
Just because you are separated and going through a divorce does not mean that you shouldn’t pay attention to your estate plan. In fact, there are a set of circumstances in which the law might create a result that you expressly wanted to avoid if you do not take measures to protect yourself. I am talking about the “elective marital share”. Separated But Not Divorced This issue keeps coming up with clients of mine Read More
One of the simplest things you can do to protect your hard-earned assets and manage your estate is to review your beneficiary designations statement. If you do not keep them up to date, a variety of disasters can occur. Three Women and a Man in a Coma Let me tell you a quick story. Years ago, long before I became an attorney, an acquaintance had a terrible car accident and was in a coma in the hospital. He was Read More
Since 1990, Maryland courts have been required to use Child Support Guidelines in all cases involving children. These guidelines suggest a certain amount that should be paid to meet the cost of raising the children of the divorced parents. Let’s explore these factors: Both parents' actual monthly income To determine how much child support should be paid, the court must first evaluate each parent's Read More
Thinking about your mortality can evoke uncomfortable feelings, but it is something everyone has to come to terms with eventually. You have to be able to ask yourself the hard questions, like: Who will take control of your property and assets once you are gone? Will your family stay united whatever the outcome, and how will your legacy continue? These are important decisions to make and requires careful thought Read More
After a divorce is finalized, you will have several orders in place that must be followed for a set period of time. In most cases, these orders will be in place for several years at the least, and in some situations, are actually meant to last for life. The courts understand, however, that people’s situations change and it is sometimes necessary to have a post-judgment modification made. The following are four common Read More
Going through a divorce is said to be among the most painful experiences that a person can go through. Once the divorce is finalized, many people find that they don’t experience the immediate relief and happiness that they were expecting. The fact is, the end of a divorce is really just the beginning of your recovery and rediscovery period in your life. If you are looking for some effective ways to help see that Read More
Maryland law regarding how vehicles can be passed down to loved ones has recently changed and is now much easier. In the past, those who wanted to pass a vehicle to a loved one (other than their spouse) would have to use the VR-471 form. This form was quite confusing because while you would fill it out and update the title of your vehicle, you would not have to submit it to the DMV. Instead, your loved ones would Read More
Getting in an auto accident can be a very frightening experience, and many people aren’t sure what to do in the minutes, hours, and days after the event. In all cases, the first thing you need to do is make sure you are ok, your passengers are ok, and anyone else involved in the crash are ok. If someone is injured, helping them get the medical attention they need should take priority over everything else. Once that Read More
