Estate Planning Awareness

Many websites offer customized, do-it-yourself wills and other estate planning documents.  Although such products are convenient, using them could create serious and expensive legal problems for [...]

Naming a trust as a beneficiary of your retirement plan can be a good idea in some circumstances, but it can be dangerous if you are worried about creditors coming after your estate. There are a [...]

Elder law and estate planning serve two different — but equally vital — functions. The main difference is that elder law is focused on preserving your assets during your lifetime, [...]

The amount you can gift to any one person without filing a gift tax form is increasing to $16,000 in 2022, the first increase since 2018. The federal estate tax exclusion is also climbing to more [...]

During his lifetime, former Governor Edwin Edwards was a legend. In death, he is also likely to become a legend in Louisiana law circles for at least one reason. That reason is Louisiana’s forced [...]

While everyone should have a durable power of attorney that appoints someone to act for them if they become incapacitated, in some circumstances it is not enough. In these cases, a revocable [...]

A number of tax proposals being considered in Congress could significantly affect gifting and estate plans for those with larger estates — over $3.5 million. If you’re in that [...]

Do you have a will? A durable power of attorney? A health care proxy? If so, no reason to read on. If not, why not? Failure to create an estate plan risks causing discord in your family for [...]

Most months, this column is a space to share best practices and tips on how to build your estate and plan for its transfer to your loved ones upon your death. Despite all of our well-made plans, [...]

Imagine your 10-year-old child has a lingering pain in her big toe.  You would get in to see your regular doctor as soon as possible.  If needed, the doctor may recommend that you see a [...]