The Plain English Legal Podcast

Heir Raid! The Howard Hughes Probate Debacle

Airline and real estate magnate Howard Hughes lived an eccentric life and left behind an equally crazy estate mess to clean up. In this podcast, Jeff reviews a Washington Post article from 1981 about the billionaire’s colorful estate that should have wrapped up “in a few years,” as well as referencing a article he wrote 29 years later… and how someone claiming to be an heir of Howard Hughes only recently called his law office and demanded his staff give her her rightful inheritance. #estateplanning #revocabletrust #livingtrust #revocablelivingtrust #howardhughes #probate

Child's Pet Goat Seized by Police and Murdered?!

What happens when the government wants to "teach a lesson" to a 9 year-old by murdering her pet goat? A lawsuit. A lawsuit is what happens. In this episode, Jeff reviews and comments on an enraging contract dispute where both parties agree to let a child keep her pet goat... but the government decides different.

The Power of Attorney Doesn't Work! (With an Account in a Trust)

You need to use the right tool for a specific job. When it comes to estate planning with a revocable living trust, there are multiple tools involved. If an account is rightly titled in a revocable living trust, then someone using the power of attorney to gain access is likely to fail. So what are your options? In this installment, Jeff reviews why a durable general power of attorney doesn’t work on accounts in a trust and the possible solutions to grant financial access to someone else. Estate Planning Basics book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/193589613X Estate Planning Basics audiobook: https://www.plainenglishattorney.com/pl/2147622091 #estateplanning #revocabletrust #livingtrust #revocablelivingtrust #powerofattorney

When an Unequal Estate is Fair

Sometimes being fair does not mean being equal, and this often happens in estate planning. If one of two children got full scholarships for all of their education, but the other had the parents pay for expensive private schools through completion of a doctorate degree, is it still fair to leave an estate equally to the two children? In this installment, Jeff covers several estate situations that are fair but the allocations from the trust are not equal. #estateplanning #revocabletrust #livingtrust #revocablelivingtrust

Why Avoid Probate?

A common question when people begin looking at estate planning is whether or not one of their main goals is to avoid the probate court process. In this installment, Jeff reviews this exact question from a Reddit poster and what the community provides as advice. #estateplanning #livingtrust #reddit

7 Living Trust Mistakes

A revocable living trust can be a great estate planning vehicle that keeps your assets out of probate and minimizes settlement costs. However, there are (at least) seven big mistakes that Jeff has seen when it comes to putting together a revocable trust.

Also check out the FREE Trustee Cheatsheet download: https://www.plainenglishattorney.com/pl/2147653836 

#estateplanning #revocabletrust #livingtrust #revocablelivingtrust

Inheritance Destroys Marriage

Can inheriting a lot of money actually destroy a marriage? In this podcast, Jeff reviews one woman’s turmoil when her husband leaves her after he receives an inheritance. This leads to the question: can inheritances be structured to preserve a marriage rather than be fuel for divorce? #estateplanning #divorce #inheritance

Legal Documents, Medicaid Planning, and Huntington's Disease

Presentations from HD Reach's 2024 annual Education Day on Huntington's Disease conference in Raleigh, North Carolina (March 9, 2024). Attorney and Certified Medicaid Planner Jeffrey G. Marsocci, also known as The Plain English Attorney, in conjunction with his law office's Asset Coordinator Mike Brooks, review legal documents, finances, long term care, and Medicaid planning in 2 break out sessions.

Check out the YouTube version here.

Don't forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel @theplainenglishattorney to watch the full videos of my podcast episodes!

#estateplanning #trust #irrevocabletrust #medicaid #huntingtonsdisease #huntingtonsdiseaseawareness #theplainenglishattorney #podcast #theplainenglishattorneypodcast #estateplanningattorney #estateplanninglawyer

2024 Death Taxes Explained

What exactly are "Death Taxes," and how have they been updated in 2024?

In this week's podcast episode, we explore estate, gift, generation-skipping, and inheritances taxes at the federal and state levels that can impact your estate planning goals in this New Year. We also take a look at one BIG missed opportunity for planning that most people don't even know about let alone take advantage of.

For the full YouTube video on this topic, please click here to watch.

Subscribe to my Youtube channel @theplainenglishattorney to watch the full videos of my podcast episodes!

#theplainenglishattorney #estatetaxes #taxes #taxplanning #podcast

The Truth About Gun Trusts

An explanation of Gun Trusts plus an interview with Attorney Jessica Metry on the ins and outs of Gun Trusts.