20 12, 2017

What is Asset Protection?

2018-02-02T22:10:32-05:00December 20th, 2017|

For many people, the term “asset protection” brings to mind safes and alarm systems. Though physically protecting your valuables is important, true asset protection is much more sophisticated. What is Asset Protection for New Jersey Residents? So, what is asset [...]

15 12, 2017

New Jersey Lawmakers Seek to Improve Caregiver Support

2023-12-27T02:55:06-05:00December 15th, 2017|

Well over one million New Jersey residents are caring for elderly and disabled relatives, and the challenges they face can be overwhelming. Balancing responsibility for an aging relative with work, child-rearing, and the day-to-day business of life can leave too [...]

9 12, 2017

What is a Pour Over Will?

2018-02-02T22:10:32-05:00December 9th, 2017|

When you start thinking about protecting your loved ones with an estate plan, the terminology you encounter may be confusing. Maybe you’re thinking about creating a will, but then you see mention of self-proving wills (which are just ordinary wills [...]

4 12, 2017

No New Jersey Estate Tax after December 31, 2017

2018-02-02T22:10:32-05:00December 4th, 2017|

In 2016, the New Jersey legislature repealed the state’s estate tax, but phased in the change. For those who passed away during calendar year 2017, there was a significant bump in the exemption. Prior to 2017, New Jersey estate tax [...]

1 12, 2017

U.S. Seniors Lose Billions Each Year to Fraud and Financial Abuse

2018-02-02T22:10:32-05:00December 1st, 2017|

Estimates of the annual cost of fraud and exploitation of the elderly in the United States vary significantly. However, there is no disagreement on one key point: those losses are counted in billions of dollars. Some recent estimates have put [...]

27 11, 2017

What is a Self-Proving Will?

2021-11-01T17:00:18-04:00November 27th, 2017|

The phrase “self-proving” will suggests that no further evidence of the document’s validity is necessary. While that’s true in a sense, a self-proving will is subject to the same witness requirements as any other written will. New Jersey requires two [...]

24 11, 2017

Who is Responsible for Debts When a Family Member Dies?

2018-02-02T22:10:32-05:00November 24th, 2017|

Whether you are putting together your estate plan or you have recently lost a loved one and are working toward putting his affairs in order, it is important to understand who is responsible for the deceased’s debts after death. Not [...]

21 11, 2017

Estate Planning for Pet Owners

2018-02-02T22:10:32-05:00November 21st, 2017|

The widowed, childless millionaire leaving his entire estate to a Pekingese and the wealthy woman disinheriting her children in favor of a Persian cat are largely the stuff of fiction. On the rare occasion that someone actually leaves a fortune [...]

19 11, 2017

Identity Theft Can Reach Beyond the Grave

2024-05-28T09:12:19-04:00November 19th, 2017|

When you lose a loved one, identity theft is probably the furthest thing from your mind. Clearly, it’s not an issue that you want to or should have to concern yourself with when a family member dies. Unfortunately, identity theft [...]

15 11, 2017

Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples

2018-02-02T22:10:32-05:00November 15th, 2017|

According to Pew Research Center, there are currently about 9 million unmarried couples living together in the United States. That number more than doubled between 1990 and 2010, and continues to grow. About half of those living with an unmarried [...]