The Plain English Legal Podcast

The Right Way to DIY an Estate Plan

Is doing your own revocable living trust online right for you?

A DIY Estate Plan isn't for everyone, but knowing the facts about revocable living trusts and having an estate plan in general can help you make smarter decisions.

Find out more in this discussion with our law firm's Asset Coordinator Mike Brooks.

Check out the YouTube video version here.

#diy #estateplanning #livingtrust

When Obergefell Falls

There are potential changes to Supreme Court decisions coming, and, I'm referring to the marriage equality ruling for nationwide same gender marriage in 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges. When that does happen, domestic partner planning will become critical again.

#lgbt #estateplanning #marriage 

 

Get What You Pay For? A Complete Package for an Estate or Hotel Room?

When you're promised a complete package, do you get what you pay for, or are you getting short-changed?

Should you get your money back?

In this episode, we go through what's included in a complete revocable living trust package with our law firm and compare it to what you should be getting with a hotel room. In Jeff's case, he didn't get anything close to what he paid for on a business trip to Asheville, and the hotel lost a 15-year loyal customer.

Check out the YouTube video version here.

#estateplanning #revocabletrust #redroof #hotelreview

An Estate Check Up?

Many people look at estate planning as a “one and done” item on their checklist. However, keeping a solid estate plan, especially one with a revocable living trust as the base of the plan, requires an annual check-in just to be sure the plan is up to date. More importantly, we need to make sure that all of the assets line up with the overall estate planning.

In this episode, we review the reasons for checking in annually, what items are typically covered in my law firm, and what kinds of potential changes need the documents revised and which ones don't.

Check out the YouTube video version here.

#estateplanning #revocabletrust #livingtrust #revocablelivingtrust #checkup

Whose to Blame?

When someone dies and an account goes somewhere it isn't supposed to, whose to blame for it?

The financial advisor?

The attorney?

Someone else?

When citizens use a revocable living trust in their estate plan to avoid probate for their beneficiaries, then account titles and beneficiary designations need to line up with the overall plan. In this podcast, Jeff reviews these concepts of blame in the backdrop of historic Colonial Williamsburg, adding some entertaining history and tales.

Check out the YouTube video version here.

#estateplanning #revocabletrust #livingtrust #revocablelivingtrust #history

5 Times When WHEN Matters in Trust Planning

The phrase "timing is everything" also applies to estate planning with a revocable living trust. When certain things happen can greatly change what happens in an estate plan, and people don't always look at things the right way.

In this podcast, we explore how the passage of time, asset values, and beneficiary distributions can greatly impact how people look at their desired goals for when they are no longer here.

Check out the YouTube video version here.

#estateplanning #revocabletrust #livingtrust #revocablelivingtrust

The Freedom Estate Plan

Do you want the government to make your estate plan? That’s exactly what happens when you don’t put together your own plan. But even if you do your own estate plan using the attorney-pushed Last Will and Testament, this means the government probate court system runs your estate… at an extremely high cost in time and money for your family.

There is a better way to take control of your own matters and keep your hard-eared wealth away from red tape and bureaucracy during a time of crisis while avoiding “the lawyer tax” by using a Freedom Estate Plan with a revocable living trust.

Check out the YouTube video version here.

#freedom #conservative #redtape #estateplan #revocabletrust #livingtrust #revocablelivingtrust

Hibernation

Three weeks off sounds like a really long time to take a "vacation," but for what I do with my law firm, estate planning, and all of the educational materials I put out to the public, this type of break (and the time of year I take this break) just makes sense. In this video, I'll review all of the ins and outs of my personal time off, and how my itch for strategic planning comes in at the end of that time to set up the next year for success. #vacation #lawfirm #holiday #estateplanning

For immediate assistance to get your own do-it-yourself estate plan, even a temporary one, at www.EstatePatch.com. 

Picking Your Trustees

People often have a hard time choosing who will execute their estate plan when they pass on, and there are a lot of misconceptions.

In this podcast, we review the big concepts of choosing trustees, including which types of professional trustees are best.

Check out the YouTube video version here.

Igniting a Charitable Planned Giving Program

Charities and Non-Profits are often so busy fundraising for existing costs that they "never get around to" creating a planned giving program that can provide long term financial stability.

This podcast reviews a way they can fundraise now while setting up for long term revenue.

Check out the YouTube video version here.