As common as probate proceedings are in this day and age, a surprisingly large part of the population knows very little about what probate actually is and why it is needed. That can lead to unfortunate misconceptions about this vital part of the estate settlement process, and leave many people confused about how to go about managing their own estate planning efforts. Much of that confusion can be eliminated by learning a few fast facts about the Atlanta Probate Court process. Wills Don’t Help … [Read more...]
Seven Clear Signs That You Need an Elder Law Attorney in Georgia
Often times, people hear about different areas of legal practice and the terms used mean practically nothing in and of themselves. That’s to be expected, of course, since the practice of law often encompasses different areas of legal concern that are difficult to accurately sum up in a one or two-word phrase. One example of this phenomenon is the term “elder law.” If you don’t know what it means, it can be difficult to know whether you need a lawyer who practices in this area of law. While it … [Read more...]
Learn the Rules Governing Georgia Estate Taxes
The estate tax has long been popular fodder for political debate, and has often been the source of confusion for many taxpayers and their families. For individuals who are concerned about how the estate tax might impact their estate planning and their ability to pass wealth on to their heirs when they die, a basic understanding of the current estate tax law can be critically important. If your estate consists of real property, sizable life insurance policies, family farms or businesses, or any … [Read more...]
Why Everyone Should Have a Will
Have you ever just sat around and spent a few hours thinking about your own mortality? Sure, you know on an instinctual level that your time on Planet Earth is finite, but do you ever just think about what happens when you die? If you’re like most of us, the answer to that question is probably a resounding “no!” After all, who has time to wallow in such thoughts when there’s so much life to live and so much that still needs to get done? On the other hand, though, if your focus on life and the … [Read more...]
Georgia Nursing Home Quality: More than a Quarter Receive Low Marks
There was shocking news this week as the most recent federal rankings for nursing home quality were released – a report that compared the quality of different long-term care facilities across the nation. In news that should raise more than a few eyebrows around the state, those ranking found that 27.6% of care facilities in Georgia qualified for only the lowest possible rating of just a single star. That placed Georgia near the bottom of states in the southeast region, with only the state of … [Read more...]
Afraid of Losing Control? Revocable Trusts Could Be the Solution
If you’ve heard that a trust might be the perfect solution to many of your estate planning needs, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans are learning about the benefits trusts can have in their own comprehensive planning efforts. Still, you might be a little bit reluctant to give up ownership and control over your assets by placing them in a trust. Chances are that you’d like to continue to exercise that control for as long as you can, right? Well, revocable trusts could be the perfect solution … [Read more...]
Why You Need the Best Medicaid Attorney Atlanta Has to Offer
If you’ve given any thought to your life after retirement, chances are that you may have at least considered the possibility that you might one day end up needing long-term care in a nursing home or similar facility. Each year, millions of elderly Americans discover that they can no longer take care of everything on their own, and many seek the type of comprehensive care that they can only get in those facilities. Still, there is more to consider than just whether you might one day need care; … [Read more...]
Why You Don’t Need to Worry About a Georgia Inheritance Tax
Taxes are something that most of us consider at one point or another in our lives, and that includes taxes on inheritances. For years, politicians have made great hay out of debating the relative merits of taxes on estates and inheritance, with some extoling the revenue benefits these taxes can provide and others criticizing them as an unnecessary “death tax” on wealth that was already taxed in life. For Georgia residents, and those residents of other states who stand to inherit property from … [Read more...]
Protecting Your Loved One with Special Needs Planning
One thing about estate planning that many people often fail to understand is that there is more to it than just ensuring a smooth distribution of property when you die. If you have dependents who rely on you for their care, then you know that one of the most important things that you can do is to plan ahead to ensure that your loved ones are cared for when you’re gone. This can be especially important for dependents with special needs, since their care after your death usually requires something … [Read more...]
Make Financial Planning Assistance Part of your Estate Planning Effort
By now, you’ve probably heard that everyone needs an estate plan. At some point, we all pass away, and we have a duty to ourselves and our loved ones to ensure that we have created a plan that can properly settle our estates when we’re gone. And though some might assume that they simply don’t have enough assets to make planning worth their while, that’s rarely true. If you have any property – real estate, a bank account, a car, or even a stamp collection, then you need some sort of estate plan … [Read more...]
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