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Significant changes mean it is a good time to meet with your attorney and to consider any new plans. The tax changes recently signed into law create a need to go to an estate planning attorney to make sure your estate plan is still optimal for you and your family. Forbes offered some suggestions...

It is important to plan, in case you are one of the people who will suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is a scary proposition and something everyone should consider as a possibility in their future, according to the Times Herald-Record...

You need to make the decision to create an estate plan and then you need to gather facts. In order to create an estate plan, you need to know what you need in order to organize your affairs, according to The Daily Courier in "I'm dead. Now What?"

Two institutions fought over rights to his journals, notes and letters. After a heated dispute, the Ransom Center matched Yale University's $2.7 million offer to archive Arthur Miller's work, according to The New York Times in "Inside the Battle for Arthur Miller's Archive."

You can go to North Korea.  However, the State Department has some advice. The State Department has recommended that American citizens get a will, make funeral plans and get a power of attorney before visiting North Korea, according to Fox News.

Perhaps this is the year that you will make an estate plan. A good New Year's resolution might be to finally get an estate plan, according to the Virginian-Pilot in "Make estate planning a priority this year."

As the elderly population grows, so does the number of scammers targeting them. There are all sorts of scams that target the elderly, ranging from large ones meant to make millions to very small scams meant to cheat an elderly person out of a few hundred dollars.

The entire staff of Shasta Legacy Law Center took the afternoon off yesterday to watch the Super Bowl.  What an exciting game that was! We also voted on best commercial. 

What should be done ahead of time, if family members do not get along? The issue of blended families and dealing with trust issues while estate planning, was recently discussed in a Market Watch advice column titled "My mother-in-law is deceitful -- can we stop her from stealing my wife'...

Even if your estate is small, you should consider a living trust. The probate process is very different, depending on your state of residency.

Just what does an estate plan give you and your family? Many people do not think carefully about the laws of intestate succession and how their assets would be distributed, so an estate plan can be really beneficial, according to an Investopedia article.

Without guidelines, the responsibilities of maintaining property by a life tenant can grow into big problems. Giving a person life tenant rights can be a good way to avoid some family conflicts and make sure that property stays in the family.  However, it can also create different conflicts,...

Challenging a will may be easy.  However, winning the suit isn't. When a will is written that results in granting what someone wants other than the testator, it is known as "undue influence."

Las Vegas killer leaves large estate, but fair compensation for the victims will be a challenge. Despite a hefty estate of $5 million left behind, it will be difficult to compensate the victims of Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock.

As the cost for caring for the elderly increases, the amount of inheritance decreases. In wealthy countries, the idea of leaving an inheritance is in jeopardy and may become a distant memory for middle class families.

Pensions used to be a main portion of the American benefits package, but times have changed. Many companies in the U.S. did away with pension plans for their employees in the 1970s and switched to 401(k) plans.

Powers of attorney obtained online can create issues because they contain boilerplate that might not work for everyone's unique situation.

The new tax law (2018) has enough big changes that you need to review your estate plan to make sure that you are taking advantage of the best options in the new environment. One of the key changes for estate planning purposes, is that the estate tax exemption has been doubled.

A Tennessee woman has given birth to a baby, after the successful implantation of an embryo that was frozen 24 years ago. The medical world is making advances in many fields, including all kinds of technologically enhanced pregnancy and birthing methods. Eggs, sperm and embryos can all be frozen ...

A new survey reveals that Americans view nursing homes so negatively, that the majority prefer death to living in one. Nursing homes do not have a good reputation in the United States. The common perception of them is as cold, uncaring places where people go to pass away, isolated and alone.

It might not be possible at this time to pass away and be brought back to life years later, but it could be some day. That could make estate planning challenging.

The cremated remains of an Arizona woman's father were stolen off her porch, after the package containing them was left there by a postal worker.

When you take a long-term view to life, you soon understand that living a healthier lifestyle provides multiple rewards. Not only will you enjoy a higher quality of life and the ability to share that with your spouse, family and friends, but you are more likely to save money on health care costs.

How does one handle the payment of estate taxes after the death of an owner and avoid the need to sell assets to meet estate taxes?

Portability is actually a simple concept. It means that if one half of a married couple doesn't use up the entirety of the federal estate tax exemption at death, the surviving spouse can use this leftover portion, plus his or her own exemption.